Acquisition
A T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft from the 416th Flight Test Squadron, takes off from St Louis Lambert International Airport (Boeing)
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the secret struggles of the Air Force’s T-7 Red Hawk
Michael Marrow, Breaking Defense
The Air Force’s T-7 Red Hawk program faces "serious" airworthiness risks and significant delays due to Boeing’s failure to provide critical technical data and ongoing design flaws. Despite these issues, officials are fast-tracking the trainer to replace the aging T-38 fleet, intentionally prioritizing speed over traditional oversight standards.
- Contractual Non-Compliance: Boeing failed to obtain "critical characteristics" from its suppliers, leaving the Air Force without the data necessary to set operational limits that could mitigate potential component failures.
- Weather Restrictions: The jet is currently unable to fly in the rain because exterior access panels do not seal properly; the Air Force even had to use tape during climate tests to keep water out.
- Simulator Struggles: The ground-based training system was deployed to units despite mustering pass rates under 30 percent for key benchmarks, raising concerns about its effectiveness for student pilots.
- Sustainment Chaos: Poor configuration tracking has led to "high risk" assessments for long-term support, with internal documents warning of runaway costs, maintenance errors, and "massive operational disruption"
- Mounting Costs: Taxpayers may face an additional $1.5 billion bill to change how engines are purchased as part of a complex deal to secure necessary technical data from Boeing.
Part 2 in the Series: ‘High risk’ sustainment: How Boeing and the Air Force battled over T-7 data rights
Part 3 in the Series: Air Force could spend $1.5B, get ‘Doomsday Plane’ data in T-7 engine ‘horse trade’
Consultants Warn of Overconfidence as CMMC Phase 2 Deadline Looms
Laura Heckmann, National Defense
As the November 2026 deadline for CMMC Phase 2 looms, many defense contractors remain dangerously unprepared for the transition from basic cybersecurity hygiene to the 110 rigorous controls required for Level 2 certification.
- False Security: Many firms overstate their readiness in internal self-assessments, failing to realize that reaching audit standards typically takes six to nine months of intensive remediation and environmental customization.
- Data Identification: A primary hurdle for contractors is identifying, marking, and tracking CUI, which is far more complex than standard financial frameworks due to its 84 diverse categories.
- Beyond Documentation: Success requires more than just updated manuals; assessors conduct technical, week-long audits to ensure that daily practices—such as multi-factor authentication—perfectly match a company’s written policies.
FAR Updates: Agency Implementation of Executive Order 14402, Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting
FAR Council
On July 1, 2026, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council published guidance and updated the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) to implement Executive Order 14402, Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting, published on April 30, 2026.
The E.O. establishes that fixed-price contracts with performance-based considerations should serve as the default and preferred method of procurement in order to advance cost predictability, budget discipline, contractor accountability, and streamline contract administration.
Deviation Guidance: FAR Part 16:Types of Contracts
Practitioner Album: FAR Part 16 Types of Contracts
Deviation Guidance: FAR Part 52: Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses
Defense & Strategy
A quantum computer at The Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate in Rome, New York is used to conduct experiments to improve quantum computing and networking. (U.S. Air Force photo / Keith Lewis)
Uncertain quantum future presents ‘existential threat’ to US military missions, DOD warns
Brandi Vincent, DefenseScoop
The Department of Defense has released a new strategy to transition all military systems to post-quantum cryptography, framing the rise of quantum supercomputing as an existential threat to national security.
- Strict Implementation Deadlines: The strategy mandates that all Department of Defense systems must either support post-quantum cryptography or be phased out by the end of 2030, with a final requirement for universal usage by December 31, 2031.
- Presidential Acceleration: Executive orders issued by President Trump aim to fast-track the federal government’s pivot to quantum-safe algorithms while directing the Pentagon to field at least three prioritized quantum-enabled sensor projects by September 2028.
Strategy Document: Department of War Post Quantum Cryptography Strategy
Executive Order: Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation
Executive Order: Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks
The U.S. Navy’s Subsea Rare Earth Vulnerability
Ryan Musto, War on the Rocks
The U.S. Navy's next-generation Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines face a critical strategic vulnerability due to an almost total reliance on Chinese-refined rare earth elements for essential propulsion and stealth technologies.
- Submerged Strategic Risk: The Columbia-class submarine, the backbone of future American nuclear deterrence, relies almost entirely on rare earth elements refined in China for its "ghost-quiet" electric motors, advanced acoustic stealth systems, and precision missile guidance.
- Refining Monopoly: China maintains a near-total stranglehold on the market, controlling 91% of global rare earth separation and 99% of the heavy rare earth processing required for military applications, a position built through decades of state-directed subsidies and environmental indifference.
- Investment Barriers: The primary hurdle for domestic production is a "capital gap" where credible startups with novel magnet chemistries cannot attract institutional investment because the Pentagon’s demand signals are too weak or inconsistent to justify high infrastructure costs.
- Urgent Timeline: With the first Columbia-class patrol scheduled for 2030 and a five-to-seven-year lead time required to build processing facilities, any delay in implementing reforms directly threatens the long-term viability of the submarine fleet.
Inside Canada’s $500 Billion Defence Spending Gamble
Kyle Volpi Hiebert, The Walrus
Prime Minister Mark Carney has committed Canada to a monumental $500 billion defense overhaul aimed at achieving technological sovereignty and meeting NATO spending targets by 2035. However, this ambitious strategy faces massive hurdles, including a history of procurement mismanagement, rigid bureaucracy, and the loss of critical intellectual property to foreign entities.
- Technological Sovereignty: The central goal of the new Defence Industrial Strategy is to dismantle Canada’s reliance on foreign—primarily American—military technology and supply chains by fostering a robust domestic defense industry.
- IP Exodus: A significant roadblock is Canada's "astonishingly poor" record of protecting intellectual property, with much of the country's publicly funded research ultimately flowing to foreign firms and U.S. contractors.
Government Reports
Then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Engineering Peter Reddy visits Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division on March 28, 2025. (Matthew Poynor/DVIDS)
Defense Research Enterprise Review
Chief Technology Officer
Cloud Computing: Federal Government Needs to Address Procurement Challenges
Government Accountability Office
Coast Guard: Actions Needed to Help Ensure Effective Use of Billions in Funding for Modernization Efforts
Government Accountability Office
Technology Release and Foreign Disclosure: DOD Is Taking Action to Help Improve Its Processes
Government Accountability Office
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) System
Congressional Research Service
Research
Members of U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) Looking Glass team stand in front of a U.S. Navy E6-B Mercury aircraft, attached to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 4, during a visit to Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, Feb. 13, 2026. (Photo via DVIDS)
Contracted Trainers or Dedicated Airframes? Evaluating Pilot Training and Sustainment Models from the E-6B and RC-135 Communities
Simeon VanderBaan, Naval Postgraduate School
The E-6B Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) community relies on operational mission aircraft for pilot qualification, creating a training architecture in which aircraft availability, operational tasking, and pilot production are tightly coupled. This thesis examines how alternative pilot training architectures influence training capacity, sustainment burden, and readiness as TACAMO prepares to transition from the E-6B to the E-130J. Using a comparative case study of the E-6B and RC-135 communities, the research analyzes training documents, historical Time-to-Train data, Ready-For-Tasking trends, and external sustainment assessments to compare operational-aircraft-based training with architectures that use dedicated training aircraft and higher-fidelity simulation. The analysis finds that the E-6B model produces recurring training volatility because pilot progression depends on operational aircraft availability, while the RC-135 model reduces this vulnerability by decoupling training from operational aircraft. The findings indicate that training architecture is a primary determinant of pipeline stability in low-density/high-demand fleets, not merely an administrative or syllabus design issue. The thesis recommends immediate E-6B syllabus flexibility, acquisition of an interim in-flight trainer, continued investment in higher-fidelity simulation, and a decoupled E-130J training architecture to protect pilot production and reduce sustainment risk.
State of Government Funding for Tough Tech: A Primer for the Venture, Startup & Academic Ecosystem Navigating the Federal Funding Landscape Through Administration Transitions
Rachel Lee, Harvard Kennedy School
This working paper provides a strategic framework for tough tech founders and investors navigating the federal funding landscape, where the long-horizon capital requirements of sectors like advanced manufacturing and biotechnology often exceed private venture capacity. The analysis identifies defense and dual-use sectors as the most durable near-term funding pathways, noting a nearly 20% increase in combined defense resources for FY2026 following major legislative shifts. To succeed in this environment, stakeholders must cultivate high-level budgetary literacy to manage the widening gap between obligated and deployed capital, prioritize stable mandatory incentives over volatile discretionary grants, and build strong human relationships with program officers to translate technical value across shifting political vocabularies.
Innovating at the pace of relevance: the case of Ukrainian unmanned systems
Emilie Berthelsen, Defense Studies
Drones have become pivotal in the Russo‑Ukrainian war, yet the mechanisms behind their transformation to a key military capability remain poorly understood. This article examines how Ukrainian state, military, and commercial actors applied an open innovation model to scale unmanned systems during Russia’s full‑scale invasion. Using a case study approach and data from 36 stakeholder interviews, it identifies the key actors and organisational structures – like the Unmanned Systems Force and the Brave1 platform – that shaped battlefield innovation across three stages of ecosystem development. The findings highlight the critical role of engineer‒soldier collaboration and inclusion of non-traditional defence technology producers. Sustaining innovation required significant bureaucratic adaptation, including new organisational actors and institutional mechanisms that facilitated decentralised development and cross‑governmental coordination. The study underscores the value of structures that support rapid iterative development and simplified procurement, and contributes theoretical and practical insights into the procedural aspects of military innovation in software-defined systems.
Events
Capital Hill Modeling and Sim Expo
NTSA
17 July 2026
Washington, DC
Converge @ NPS
Naval Postgraduate School Foundation
22-24 July 2026
Monterey, CA
DIA TECHINT 2026
AFCEA
28-29 July 2026
Chantilly, VA
2026 Air and Space Summit
Potomac Officers Club
30 July 2026
McLean, VA
Space and Missile Defense Symposium
AFCEA
11-13 August 2026
Huntsville, AL
TechNet Augusta 2026
AFCEA
17-20 August 2026
Augusta, GA
MODSIM World 2026
National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA)
18-19 August 2026
Alexandria, VA
Fed Supernova
STATION Austin
18-20 August 2026
Austin, TX
DIB Accelerator 2026
Advanced Technology International (ATI)
25 - 27 August 2026
Philadelphia, PA
Prodacity 2026: Uncharted
Rise8
25-27 August 2026
Nashville, TN
OCEANS 2026 Monterey
IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES)
21-24 September 2026
Monterey, CA
One more thing...
The Fife and Drum Corps perform at the National Archives on July 4, 2013. (Photo by Jules Clifford via National Archives)
The Declaration of Independence’s Influence Around the World
David Armitage, National Constitution Center
While Americans typically revere the Declaration of Independence as a charter of individual rights and personal liberties, historian David Armitage argues that its global impact has primarily been as a diplomatic manifesto and a legal template for national sovereignty.
- A Political Novelty: While declarations were a common form in English and international law, independence was a relatively new political value, regardless of whether it was applied to people or states.
- Diplomatic Necessity: To make gain support from other powers and make essential commercial and military treaties, the colonists needed to be recognized as having a legitimate claim to sovereignty. To transform a rebellion into a legitimate war between states, the Continental Congress used the language of international law to justify their grievances and goals.
- Dual Interpretations: While Americans generally view the text as a charter for individual rights, global audiences have historically interpreted it as a charter for the collective right to revolt, secede, and form independent states.
- Anti-Imperial Template: The Declaration’s influence has been most evident during the collapse of empires, from 19th-century Latin America to the post-Soviet sphere. The Declaration served as a model for over half the states currently represented at the United Nations.
- Conspicuous Exception: While few declarations from other countries have focused on individual rights, a prominent exception occurred in 1945, when Hồ Chí Minh explicitly quoted the Declaration's statement equality to argue for the sovereign rights of the Vietnamese people: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
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