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Acquisition Research Program Newsletter
June 19, 2026 — Issue 287
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Happy Juneteenth!
In this week's headlines...
Navy CAPT Victor Glover, pilot of Artemis II and NPS graduate, shares the details of his history-making flight around the Moon...
The Senate and House move to prevent the Trump administration from building US warships in foreign yards...
Cuts to foundational research are creating long-term damage to the United States' technological superiority...
GAO finds that only one in four F-35s is fully mission-capable...
VADM Richard Breckenridge has been appointed the new Senior Advisor for Shipbuilding...
And an NPS student has developed a patent-pending 5G security architecture that provides continuous, identity-based authentication for tactical military networks.
Plus NPS is looking for two lecturers in defense contract management.
Enjoy!
This Week's Top Stories
Artemis II mission pilot and NPS alumnus U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover addressed a packed King Hall auditorium on the Naval Postgraduate School campus on June 16, 2026. (Photo: NPS Public Affairs via LinkedIn)
From Monterey to the Moon: U.S. Navy CAPT Victor Glover
NPS Public Affairs
From Monterey to the Moon … and back!! The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) proudly welcomed Artemis II mission pilot and NPS alumnus U.S. Navy Captain Victor Glover to campus on Tuesday for an engaging Secretary of the Navy Guest Lecture detailing his history-making flight around the Moon!
Glover thrilled a packed King Hall auditorium with a detailed presentation on the Artemis II team’s 10-day mission, the exhaustive training needed to execute it, and its role in advancing NASA’s plans to return to the lunar surface with Artemis IV in early 2028.
Watch Captain Glover's full address right here.
Related: Artemis II mission pilot and NPS alumnus U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover returns to campus
Senate, House Defense Bills Propose Restrictions on U.S. Warships Built in Foreign Yards; Legislation Limits Navy Secretary’s Ability to Rename Ships
Mallory Shelbourne, USNI News
Congressional defense committees are implementing strict legislative barriers to block the Trump administration’s plan to build U.S. warships in foreign shipyards while also curbing the Navy Secretary's authority to rename vessels.
- Security Guardrails: House appropriators included specific language in the FY 2027 spending bill to prevent any allocated funds from being used in foreign facilities, reflecting bipartisan concerns over sending shipbuilding work abroad.
- Foreign Shipbuilding Bans: House and Senate authorizers are moving to strip the president's "national security interest" waiver, effectively barring the executive branch from bypassing domestic shipbuilding requirements for primary warships.
- The Finland Model: Following the "ICE Pact" precedent, the Senate would allow limited foreign construction of auxiliary ships—such as tankers and bulk fuel vessels—provided the foreign yard belongs to a treaty ally and subsequent production moves to the United States.
- Battleship Oversight: Lawmakers have slowed the Trump-class battleship program by cutting $1 billion in advance procurement funding, with House authorizers requiring additional studies on how the nuclear-powered ship would impact the broader industrial base.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY HORIZONS: Pentagon Defunding its Own Future and Creating Strategic Risk
Shanni Silberberg & Reed Skaggs, National Defense
The United States is jeopardizing its long-term military superiority by shifting funds away from basic research in favor of short-term prototyping and hardware development. By prioritizing near-term results over foundational science, the Pentagon risks "mortgaging the future" and ceding technological superiority to global competitors like China.
- Financial Erosion: Since fiscal year 2022, basic research funding has plummeted by nearly 20% in real terms, dropping from $2.65 billion to a requested $2.14 billion.
- Talent Drain: Funding cuts destroy the human pipeline of specialists, as a $100 million reduction potentially displaces up to 1,300 essential scientists and engineers. These individuals often leave for the private sector, taking their national security expertise with them.
- Foundational Wins: History proves the value of basic research, as revolutionary technologies like GPS, stealth, and early AI algorithms were seeded decades before they could provide any immediate return on investment.
An F-35A Lightning II taxis off the runway at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Feb. 22, 2024. (Staff Sgt. Kaitlyn Ergish/Air Force)
Only 1 in 4 F-35s is fully mission capable, GAO finds
Michael Scanlon, NavyTimes
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reveals that the F-35's full mission capable rate plummeted to 25% in fiscal year 2025, a significant decline from 38% in 2021, leaving the vast majority of the fleet unable to perform its full range of tasked missions.
- Technical Bottlenecks: Investigators attribute the decline to a combination of software delays in newly delivered aircraft, a persistent scarcity of critical spare parts, and ongoing corrosion problems across the aging portions of the fleet.
- Massive Funding Gap: The Joint Program Office (JPO) estimates it will cost an additional $13.7 billion through 2031 to address sustainment issues, contributing to a staggering $1.6 trillion lifetime cost for the nation's most expensive weapon system.
- Flawed Incentive Structures: Between 2020 and 2023, Lockheed Martin was paid $114 million in performance incentives despite stagnant readiness rates, as the JPO manually adjusted data upward to account for factors deemed outside the contractor's control.
- Supply Chain Fragility: A recent industry study identified 48 essential parts, such as aircraft canopies, that the supplier base cannot produce in sufficient quantities, remaining a primary driver for grounded jets.
- Ambitious Recovery Goals: The F-35 Joint Program Office’s "Global Support Solution Reset" strategy seeks to reach an 80% mission capable rate by 2030, but officials caution that significant improvements may not materialize until late 2026 or later.
Full Report: F-35 Sustainment: Actions Needed to Ensure Updated Strategy Improves Persistent Readiness Challenges
Department of the Navy Names New Senior Advisor for Shipbuilding
US Navy Press Office
Retired Vice Adm. Richard Breckenridge has been appointed as the new Senior Advisor for Shipbuilding to oversee a generational expansion of the American fleet. Breckenridge will leverage decades of submarine and staff expertise to revitalize the industrial base and streamline the acquisition of both manned and unmanned vessels.
- Operational Mastery: Breckenridge possesses a distinguished career in the submarine community, having commanded the USS Memphis during Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as the Commodore of Submarine Squadron 4.
- Expert Staffing: His background includes high-level staff assignments such as Director of Undersea Warfare (N97) and Director of Warfare Integration (N9I), offering him a comprehensive perspective on complex naval warfare requirements.
- NPS Alumnus: A 1982 graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Breckenridge also holds master’s degrees in Engineering Acoustics and Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Brazilian Navy Officer’s Award-Winning NPS Research Advances 5G Network Security
Matthew Schehl, NPS Public Affairs
Brazilian Navy Lt. Fernando De Oliveira earned the Naval Postgraduate School's Outstanding Academic Achievement Award for developing a patent-pending 5G security architecture that provides continuous, identity-based authentication for tactical military networks.
- Smart Network Slicing: The architecture uses "network slicing" to grant tailored permissions, such as allowing an admiral high-level command access while providing a soldier more limited capabilities on a separate slice.
- Zero Trust Alignment: The system adheres to the "zero trust" model by requiring ongoing verification and enforcing session time limits to ensure no user or device is inherently trusted.
- Commercial and Patent Interest: The research is currently in the patent process and has attracted interest from private companies looking to invest in further 5G research at the Naval Postgraduate School.
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ARP and NPS News
NOW HIRING: Lecturers in defense contract management
The Department of Acquisition, Finance, and Manpower (DAFM) at Naval Postgraduate School is seeking two lecturers in defense contract management for on-campus positions in Monterey, CA.
Preferred qualifications include:
- A proven track record of teaching effectiveness.
- Experience in distance learning methods and technologies.
- Professional certification in contract management (e.g., CFCM or CPCM).
- Ability to teach contract management related courses, such as principles of acquisition and contract management, contract law, contract administration, contingency contracting, cost/price analysis, contract negotiations, services contracting, contracting for major systems, and acquisition and contracting policy.
- A graduate degree in a management-related discipline, but preference will be given to candidates with a graduate degree in defense contract management.
- Significant defense contract management experience and expertise (e.g., warranted contracting officer).
- Legacy DAWIA Level III certification in Contract Management.
Job Listing: Full-time Lecturer
Job Listing: Intermittent Lecturer
Son Tran, ENS, USN, and Emily Kosonovich, ENS, USN, present their thesis results at the Department of Acquisition, Finance, and Manpower (DAFM) Graduate Student Research Poster Showcase, sponsored by the Acquisition Research Program (ARP), on June 9, 2026. (Photo by MCSN Zadi Watkins)
June 2026 DAFM Graduates Display Their Thesis Research
Graduating students from the Department of Acquisition, Finance, and Manpower (DAFM) presented their thesis results at last week's Graduate Student Research Poster Showcase, sponsored by the Acquisition Research Program (ARP).
Students posters displayed the findings of research projects on topics ranging from best practices for the Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) to military suicide prevention, Navy audit readiness and financial accountability, and the use of AI for unbiased acquisition planning.
Graduating students were able to share their projects with faculty, colleagues, and other members of the NPS community - while showcasing the rigorous and impactful research that NPS warrior-scholars are known for.
Learn more about DAFM degree programs here.
The Frictionless Frontier: Reforming Acquisition to Secure Cutting-Edge Capability
How can we better manage complexity of contracting under wartime pressure - while preserving the health and diversity of the defense industrial base?
That was the question researchers addressed during "The Frictionless Frontier: Reforming Acquisition to Secure Cutting-Edge Capability" panel at last month's Accelerating Warfighting Capabilities, NPS's 23rd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit.
Chaired by John Jolokai of the U.S. Army Contracting Command, the panel featured:
- NPS alumnus Capt Michael Alexander, USAF, who briefed research demonstrating how war games can be used as a training and preparedness tool for contracting professionals.
- Amanda Bresler of PW Communications, who shared research showing that the defense industrial base (DIB) contracted by 30% from FY2015 to FY2024, while defense spending increased by 68%.
- Martin Jay Barlow of The Aerospace Corporation, who provided a framework for converting cost-plus contracts to fixed price, highlighting eight readiness gates and five conversion pathways.
Check out the full panel right here.
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Acquisition
OA-1K Skyraider II. Air Force photo
JUST IN: GAO Report Finds Disconnect Between Pentagon and Special Ops Acquisitions
Colby Lamb, National Defense
A Government Accountability Office report reveals that the Pentagon is failing to utilize its authorized power to oversee Special Operations Command (SOCOM) acquisition programs. The GAO found that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict cannot effectively monitor programs due to insufficient personnel and an apparent lack of communication.
- Budgetary Risks: An audit of nine special operations programs found that nearly all are suffering from schedule delays or cost growth, which threatens the long-term stability of the command's budget.
- Policy Failures: Eight of the nine programs reviewed failed to maintain current cost estimates, largely because SOCOM’s internal policies do not specify how frequently these figures must be updated.
- Outdated Data: The digital portal intended for program monitoring often contains obsolete information, a problem SOCOM attributes to a slow transition between reporting systems.
- Staffing Shortfall: Despite previous warnings in 2024, the Pentagon has failed to implement a strategic workforce plan to address critical skill gaps in its acquisition oversight office.
Related: Special Operations Forces Actions Needed to Improve Monitoring of Acquisitions
Fixed-Price Contracting Works. But Not If the Government Outsources Ambiguity.
Brian Miller, Uncommon Leadership
While federal policy is increasingly pushing toward fixed-price contracting to prioritize results over activity, this model only succeeds if agencies treat it as a rigorous management discipline rather than a mere administrative change. The government must clearly define mission outcomes and eliminate ambiguity before awarding funds to ensure both parties are held accountable.
- Operational Shift: Fixed-price contracting is an operating model, not just a procurement decision; it requires a fundamental change in how programs are managed to ensure they reward outcomes rather than just hours worked.
- Defining Success: The most difficult aspect of this model is defining "done" before money changes hands, which requires setting measurable benchmarks that prove the work actually mattered to the end user.
- Phase-Gate Strategy: By using short, option-priced phases lasting four to ten weeks, agencies can validate data and security thresholds early, scaling projects that show mission value while stopping those that do not.
- Flexible Paths: While the ultimate mission outcome should remain fixed, the technical path to get there must stay flexible to accommodate discovery, minimum viable products, and milestone gates.
- Shared Risk: Fixed-price deals require government-side discipline; if an agency changes the problem statement at will, the vendor cannot be expected to own the final outcome.
Industry
Michigan Army National Guard photo by Spc. Aaron Good
Scaling Patriot Production: The Industrial Base Crisis Explained
Macdonald Amoah, Morgan D. Bazilian, & Lt. Col. Jahara Matisek, Foreign Policy Research Institute
Modern American military dominance no longer rests solely on initial firepower, but on "Command of the Reload," or the industrial capacity to replenish advanced munitions during a prolonged conflict. Using the 2026 Iran war as a case study, the text highlights a dangerous structural crisis where sophisticated missiles like the Patriot are expended in weeks while requiring years to manufacture.
- Global Backlog: With 94% of April 2026 contract funds coming from foreign sales, the combined international demand for advanced munitions equates to a seven-year production queue at 2025 rates.
- Buy Time: Because interceptors have lead times of up to 30 months, the government must utilize multiyear contracts to provide stable demand signals, allowing firms to invest in the specialized labor and tooling necessary for growth.
- Target Sub-tier Fragility: Redundancy must be built into the supply chain to eliminate single points of failure, such as the current reliance on single facilities for essential components like radar seekers and solid rocket motors.
- Economic Shot Doctrine: To avoid ruinous cost ratios, the military must implement a layered defense that preserves $4 million premium interceptors for high-end ballistic threats while using cheaper systems for $35,000 drones.
Lockheed, GM announce partnership to bolster production for munitions and more
Carley Welch and Valerie Insinna, Breaking Defense
Lockheed Martin and General Motors have formed a strategic partnership to apply commercial manufacturing expertise and supply chain management to defense production.
- Scaling Critical Munitions: A primary goal of the partnership is to help Lockheed meet aggressive Pentagon targets to triple the production of PAC-3 missiles and quadruple the output of THAAD interceptors over the next several years.
- Commercial Tech Integration: Executives highlighted that high-end vehicles like the Corvette share similar engineering and precision manufacturing requirements with advanced interceptors, making GM’s scaling and infrastructure expertise highly applicable to weapons manufacturing.
- Supply Chain Synergy: The companies are exploring opportunities for GM to produce "commonly used parts" for Lockheed, leveraging GM's diverse and robust supply chain to alleviate existing production bottlenecks.
Government Reports
A Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel sails in the Gulf of Aqaba during International Maritime Exercise/Cutlass Express, Feb. 9, 2022. (Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dawson Roth)
Robotic Autonomous Systems: Navy Needs to Address Leadership and Organizational Challenges to Meet Urgent Needs
Government Accountability Office
Special Operations Forces Actions Needed to Improve Monitoring of Acquisitions
Government Accountability Office
Rare Earth Elements and U.S. Supply Chains
Congressional Research Service
The Certification of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Aircraft: In Brief
Congressional Research Service
Defense Primer: The National Technology and Industrial Base
Congressional Research Service
Defense Primer: Defense and Intelligence Unfunded Priorities
Congressional Research Service
Research
The Space Force’s Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) program seeks to develop three ground-based radar sites that will track objects in the geosynchronous satellite belt. The Air Force initiated the DARC Middle Tier of Acquisition effort to develop an initial site (Site 1) and a command and control center. Here, a Transmit Antenna at Site 1 of the project is shown at night. Photo Credit: Doug Humphries, BAE Systems
Best Practice Alignment and Program Outcomes in DoD Middle Tier Acquisition of Acquisition: A Cross-Program Analysis
Chandra Meadows & Matthew Teeple, Naval Postgraduate School
This research examines the extent to which Department of Defense (DoD) Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) rapid prototyping programs align with selected acquisition best-practice constructs. The study employed structured content analysis using selected program artifacts from the Defense Acquisition Visibility Environment (DAVE). The program artifacts were quantitatively analyzed using the GenAI.mil large language model (LLM) to ordinally score and provide document references for the scoring rationale. The rubric-constrained scoring model was applied to evaluate six best-practice constructs. The outputs were cataloged and analyzed using descriptive comparisons and exploratory regression. This research contributes a structured framework for evaluating MTA program structures and provides recommendations to improve acquisition visibility, assessment, and decision-making within rapid prototyping efforts.
Is US Defense Acquisition Ready to Acquire AI-Enabled Capabilities? Assessing the DoD Software Acquisition Pathway Through a Scenario-Based Policy Analysis
Daniel Lugo & James C. Davis, arXiv
As AI systems transition from experimental prototypes to mission-critical tools, their dependence on dynamic data, evolving models, and governance raises questions about whether existing acquisition pathways can keep pace. The U.S. Department of Defense has modernized its acquisition processes through the Adaptive Acquisition Framework, with the Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP) serving as the primary mechanism for acquiring software-intensive capabilities. This paper evaluates whether SWP is sufficient to address the unique demands of AI acquisition.
Defence innovation and procurement reform: an empirical evaluation of the US Defense Innovation Unit
Ethan Kapstein, Javier Ospital, & Guntram B. Wolff, Bruegel
This research provides the first causal evaluation of the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU) effects on defence procurement. Using administrative procurement data and a firm-level panel covering 2017-2025, and employing propensity score matching, additional firm-level covariates and a staggered difference-in differences design, we find that the DIU has expanded both the extensive and intensive margins of defence contracting. We find not only a significant increase in the likelihood of receiving a DoD contract because of DIU treatment, but also in the size of the contract. Our findings show that defence innovation organisations can broaden and deepen the defence-supplier base.
Events
10th Annual Federal Acquisition Conference
Professional Services Council
25 June 2026
Arlington, VA or Virtual
Capital Hill Modeling and Sim Expo
NTSA
17 July 2026
Washington, DC
Converge @ NPS
Naval Postgraduate School Foundation
22-24 July 2026
Monterey, CA
2026 Air and Space Summit
Potomac Officers Club
30 July 2026
McLean, VA
Prodacity 2026: Uncharted
Rise8
25-27 August 2026
Nashville, TN
One more thing...
Activist Opal Lee, known as the grandmother of Juneteenth, is shown working to make Juneteenth a national holiday in the film "Juneteenth: Exploring Freedom Stories." Credit: Annenberg Public Policy Center. All Rights Reserved.
The self-styled 'little lady in tennis shoes' who inspired a movement
Stand Together
Opal Lee, the activist celebrated as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, transformed a childhood tragedy into a nationwide movement for freedom and reconciliation
- Emancipation Milestone: Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when federal forces arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the last slaves remaining in the United States.
- Traumatic Origins: In 1939, a white mob burned twelve-year-old Lee’s family home to the ground on June 19, a date she later recognized as "providential" for her future mission.
- Symbolic Walk: At age 89, Lee campaigned for a federal Juneteenth holiday by walking from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., traveling 2.5 miles daily to represent the years of delay before emancipation reached enslaved people in Texas.
- Legislative Victory: Her activism and a petition signed by 1.5 million people culminated in 2021 when Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday.
- Highest Civilian Honor: Lee received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024, a prestigious recognition of her lifelong activism and her historic campaign to bring national awareness to Juneteenth.
- Full Circle Restoration: Habitat for Humanity recently rebuilt Lee’s home on the exact plot where it was destroyed 87 years ago.
- Redefining Freedom: Lee teaches that civil rights are not just historical artifacts but an ongoing effort to ensure everyone has the opportunity to "be all that they can be."
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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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