Acquisition
The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741) transits the Hood Canal in preparation to moor at Naval Base Kitsap. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ian Zagrocki)
The challenge of building the navy’s next SSBN
Robert F. Mortlock, Ph.D., COL USA (Ret.), & Benjamin Field, LCDR USN, Naval Engineers Journal
This case analysis examines the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program as a high-stakes study in defense acquisition management. With Ohio-class submarines reaching end-of-life on a fixed schedule, the Navy faces a non-negotiable deadline to deliver the Columbia-class or risk a gap in America's nuclear deterrence capability — yet the program is experiencing significant setbacks across requirements, software development, funding, industrial base constraints, and quality assurance.
- Cascading Challenges: The program faces a convergence of technical issues including software development delays, quality assurance problems across shipyards and manufacturers, and fundamental constraints in industrial base capacity and capability.
- Impossible Tradeoffs: When schedule cannot slip, performance requirements cannot be compromised, and costs must remain within budget constraints, traditional program management approaches offer no easy solutions — making this an ideal teaching case for real-world acquisition challenges.
Related: Talk a Little, Learn a Lot | 47: Dr. Robert Mortlock - NEJ- Future of Colombia-class SSBNs
VIEWPOINT: Acquisition Reform Requires Trust, Accountability
Mike Madsen & Eric Snelgrove, National Defense
The success of modern defense acquisition depends on a foundation of trust and transparency between Congress and the Pentagon. Currently, this relationship is hindered by outdated legacy systems and an information lag that prevents both parties from viewing a unified, real-time picture of budget and program performance.
- Shared Operational Picture: By providing both branches access to the same metrics — such as execution rates and capability gaps—the government can make faster, evidence-based adjustments to its $839 billion budget.
- Portfolio Management Mandate: Transitioning to a portfolio-based decision-making model requires integrated data to track long-term life cycle costs and support rapid iterations in military capability.
- Debunking Micromanagement Fears: While some fear that increased transparency leads to deeper intrusion, timely insight actually builds credibility and encourages lawmakers to grant the Pentagon greater operational flexibility.
Defense & Strategy
The Coalition of the Willing Summit, July 13, 2026, Paris, France. (X)
9 nations back Ukraine’s Patriot alternative, Freyja — and want it flying in a year
Katie Livingstone, Defense News
Nine European nations have partnered with Ukraine to form a coalition dedicated to rapidly developing the Freyja anti-ballistic missile system and achieving operational status for the new technology within just twelve months.
- Reducing External Reliance: Developing this homegrown system is viewed as a vital step toward strategic autonomy, allowing Ukraine and Europe to protect their territories from ballistic threats without being completely dependent on external military support.
- Shared Technical Assets: The system centers on Ukraine's FP-7.X interceptor, but relies on international partners to provide the essential radar and command-and-control "puzzle pieces" necessary to create a comprehensive defense system.
- Mitigating Weapon Gaps: This initiative directly addresses a widening shortfall between the high global demand for interceptors and current supply levels, which has been severely strained by ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
Related: ‘Testing is now underway’: Zelenskyy confirms progress on major US defense deals
Senate lawmaker presses DoD, tech firms to disclose AI contract terms
Anastasia Obis, Federal News Network
Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for the DoD and seven leading tech firms — including OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft — to release unclassified versions of their contracts to reveal the specific protections governing AI use. She warns that the agreements may lack specific ethical guardrails, potentially allowing the military to utilize advanced software for domestic surveillance or the development of autonomous lethal weaponry without sufficient human oversight.
Industry
Illustration courtesy Damen
TOTE Wins U.S. Navy's First Vessel Construction Manager Contract
The Maritime Executive
A landmark $2.2 billion contract has been awarded to TOTE Services to act as the U.S. Navy’s first-ever Vessel Construction Manager. By utilizing this third-party oversight model, TOTE will supervise the production of the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program across multiple shipyards to improve cost efficiency and schedule reliability.
- Fiscal Discipline: The $2.2 billion agreement empowers TOTE to standardize designs across different yards and utilize block-buying strategies to secure superior pricing and expand the industrial base.
- Streamlined Operations: As a VCM, TOTE interfaces with shipbuilders using commercial language and procedures, absorbing the reporting and compliance burdens that typically hinder government-led projects.
- Congressional Mandate: This management structure was explicitly authorized by the FY2026 NDAA, which required a third-party manager for up to eight of the 15 vessels in the LSM program.
Government Reports
A Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., Jan. 31, 2022. (Joshua Conti, Space Force)
Space Force: Additional Actions Needed to Address Workforce Challenges
Government Accountability Office
Department of Defense Contractors and Efforts to Mitigate Foreign Influence
Congressional Research Service
Evaluation of the DoW’s Capability and Capacity to Produce 155-Millimeter Artillery Ammunition (Report No. DOWIG-2026-095)
DOW Office of the Inspector General
Research
llustration created by NIWC Pacific.
Managing the Development and Integration of AI-Based Mission Autonomy in Unmanned Systems: A Programmatic and System Engineering Approach
Michael Fasano & Kevin Silva, Naval Postgraduate School
This project seeks to define a structured framework that enables effective planning, testing, and deployment of AI-enabled autonomy while maintaining system reliability and operator confidence. Traditional requirement frameworks rely heavily on positive requirements that define what the system must do. However, AI-based mission autonomy introduces behaviors that may be emergent, probabilistic, or non-deterministic, requiring a complementary emphasis on negative requirements that define what the system must not do under any conditions. DoW acquisition and verification processes do not yet provide structured methods for developing, managing, and testing these behavior constraints. This gap inhibits safety certification, complicates mission risk assessments, and limits operator trust in autonomous systems.
Digital Acquisition Transformation and Digital Data Strategy Pilots
Dr. Laura Freeman, Dr. Kelli Esser, et al, Acquisition Innovation Research Center (AIRC)
This research advances a structured methodology for assessing supply chain health, intended to improve decision-making at every stage of the acquisition lifecycle, from initial planning through long-term sustainment. The study introduces a multidimensional framework that evaluates resilience through three critical lenses: how supply chains perform operationally, how they are built structurally, and how they coordinate organizationally. To ensure consistency across diverse defense portfolios, the report proposes standardized metrics that allow for the identification of specific vulnerabilities and adaptive opportunities. To support this theoretical approach, the paper provides representative metrics and an interactive dashboard designed to visualize vulnerabilities and inform decision-making.
Shadow Logistics: Military Vulnerability Through Civilian Dependence
Gilles A. Paché, Journal of Strategic Security
Modern missions rely on an extensive ecosystem of infrastructures — port terminals, cloud services, data platforms, and civilian contractors — whose reliability frequently lies beyond the authority of public institutions. This environment gives rise to shadow logistics, a network of civilian systems largely absent from conventional doctrine yet capable of producing significant operational disruptions when failures occur. Research on critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, and supply chain governance reveals how civilian systems may become instruments of leverage or coercion, sometimes unintentionally. The analysis also exposes a persistent blind spot in planning processes, notably the limited consideration given to extraterritorial digital services, commercial data brokers, and globally distributed cloud architectures that underpin essential functions. Strengthening logistical resilience requires more precise mapping of interdependencies, more robust public-private partnerships, fuller integration of civilian systems into multi-domain operations, and sovereign capabilities capable of sustaining continuity during periods of geopolitical tension.
Events
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
Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference & Exhibition
NDIA
8-10 September 2026
Washington, DC
OCEANS 2026 Monterey
IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES)
21-24 September 2026
Monterey, CA
One more thing...
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA, where Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. (Photo: National Park Service)
A diamond, a whale bone and lots of letters: What’s inside the America 250 time capsule
Holly Ramer, AP News
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, the nonpartisan America250 commission has prepared a 900-pound time capsule to be buried in Philadelphia and opened in the year 2276.
- Diverse Contributions: The vessel contains artifacts from all 50 states, the five U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and all three branches of the federal government.
- Unique Artifacts: Submissions range from an Arkansas diamond and an endangered North Atlantic right whale bone from Maine to Arizona’s nano-etched coin containing the full text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
- Engineered Resilience: Designed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the stainless steel cylinder features a dual-cylinder system and a soft-metal seal that compresses to ensure the interior remains completely airtight and watertight.
- Historical Lineage: This project continues a tradition of milestone commemorations, following the 1876 "Century Safe" opened in 1976 and the 1976 Bicentennial capsule scheduled to be opened in 2076.
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