Acquisition
A B-52 Stratofortress leads a formation of a B-1 Lancer, A-10 Warthog, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-18 Hornet, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning, assigned to Air Combat Command and Global Strike Command, during the Hyundai Air and Sea show at Miami, Florida, May 23, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Diaz)
DAFM Faculty, Grads Publish New Research in the Journal of Contract Management
The latest issue of the Journal of Contract Management features research by DAFM professor Rene Rendon and DAFM graduates Si Yun Yang and Allan E. Cameron.
- “Effective Practices in the Use of Partnership Intermediary Agreements: A Case Study of the U.S. Air Force” by Allan Cameron and Rene G. Rendon examine the use of partnership intermediary agreements (PIAs) within the U.S. Air Force, with an eye to determine the most effective practices to foster innovation, maximize collaborative outcomes, and achieve considerable return on investment.
- “A Comparison of the United States and Taiwan Navy Shipbuilding Source Selection Strategies,” by Commander Si Yun Yang of the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, compares source selection strategies between the United States and Taiwan Navy shipbuilding procurement, then provides recommendations based on the findings to develop beneficial contracting strategies for both countries.
Read both articles here: Journal of Contract Management Volume 19
DoD plans CMMC listening sessions as questions swirl around review
Justin Doubleday, Federal News Network
The Department of Defense has initiated a comprehensive "top-to-bottom" review of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, suspending third-party assessment requirements to address cost and compliance burdens on small businesses.
- Gathering Feedback: The Department of Defense has published a formal request for information and will conduct nationwide listening sessions over a 60-day period to solicit input from small businesses, cybersecurity executives, and the Cyber Accreditation Body regarding ways to improve the program’s speed and innovation.
RFI: Reforming CMMC and Reducing Compliance Burden for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB)
Related: DoD pauses CMMC, but contractors still have obligations
Opportunities
Image via USNI
2026 Naval Intelligence Essay Contest
US Naval Institute
The Chief of Naval Operations has set forth a “hedge strategy” that seeks to balance “cost-effective, scalable, risk-worthy mass with the most advanced multi-mission platforms we can build and sustain.” It is, he asserts, a strategy that “unabashedly embraces risk to tip the scales in our advantage.” This year’s naval intelligence essay contest invites you to explore the implications of the CNO’s vision and then propose a path for naval intelligence to adapt, inform, and shape the Navy and nation. Essays must be submitted by no later than 31 July 2026.
Annual ASA(ALT) Acquisition Writing Competition Showcases Workforce Talent and Creativity
US Army Acquisition Support Center
The Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), Lt. Gen. Robert M. Collins, announced the launch of the 13th annual Major General Harold J. “Harry” Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing today. The competition is designed to foster dialogue and discourse on the way forward as we transform acquisition to prioritize performance and accountability over process. All entries must be submitted by email no later than midnight, Oct. 13, 2026.
Call for Submissions: 2026 Maj. Gen. Harold J. “Harry” Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing
Innovation
A U.S. Army paratrooper assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade looks up at a drone during drone training exercise African Lion 2025 (AL25), at Ben Ghilouf Training Area, Tunisia, April 27, 2025. AL25 is set to be the largest annual military exercise in Africa, bringing together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mariah Y. Gonzalez)
Closing the Loop: Improving Innovation Feedback Between Soldiers, Startups, and Strategy
Nils Olsen, Luc Hillion, & Dan Smith, Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs
The U.S. Army is currently struggling to effectively integrate small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) because its rigid procurement infrastructure prioritizes mass production over the iterative, user-driven development required for modern drone warfare.
- Innovation Scaling Paradox: The Army is applying a scaling strategy to a problem that first requires iteration, a mismatch that actively destroys the conditions needed to develop the best technology.
- Muffled Operator Voices: Feedback loops are broken because the system asks for technical specifications rather than problem statements, leaving frontline operators with no structured channel to industry to fix glaring equipment deficiencies.
- Bureaucratic Speed Bumps: Systematic risk aversion and overlapping approval echelons consume approximately 60% of the procurement timeline, causing proven capabilities to sit unfielded while adversaries iterate faster.
- Training Doctrine Deficit: Despite battlefield evidence that drones are complex, crew-served systems, the institutional training pipeline still treats them as individual weapons and lacks established doctrine for infantry integration.
- Phased Validation Model: To bridge the gap between innovation and fielding, the government should adopt a phased validation approach, similar to clinical trials, to link problem statements to operational capabilities.
Defense & Strategy
U.S. Sailors render honors for Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao during an installation visit at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, May 4, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joey Rolfe)
SECNAV Hung Cao unveils plan for Navy to ‘out-learn and out-fight any adversary’ with AI
Brandi Vincent, DefenseScoop
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao has introduced a new "Strategy to Weaponize Data and Artificial Intelligence," a roadmap designed to transform the Department of the Navy into an "AI-first" force. This blueprint establishes data and algorithms as central warfighting assets intended to accelerate decision-making and maintain a competitive edge in modern naval combat.
- Rapid Adaptation Cycle: At the center of the plan is the "Bits2Effects Cycle," a five-step digital framework intended to swiftly convert massive amounts of raw information into decisive battlefield results.
- Comprehensive Integration Goals: The strategy outlines six overarching goals to bolster integration, including improving data readiness, optimizing infrastructure, streamlining governance, and strengthening industry partnerships.
- Ambitious Workforce Scaling: The Navy intends to double its cadre of qualified data engineers, scientists, and machine learning experts by the end of fiscal 2029 through a comprehensive new training and billet build plan.
- Prioritized Implementation Roadmap: The Department will maintain an authoritative inventory of mission-aligned AI use cases, focusing resources on specific projects based on their potential impact and technical feasibility.
Strategy Document: Strategy to Weaponize Data and Artificial Intelligence
Industry
Image via Hoover Institute
Mobilize the Modern Defense Industrial Base: A Commander’s Guide to Why Corporations Do What They Do
John W. Raymond and Dan Berkenstock, Hoover Institution
Because American research and development has shifted largely to the private sector, military leaders must understand the investor motivations—specifically the differences between public and private ownership—that dictate corporate behavior. By examining the distinct roles of venture capital, private equity, and institutional investors, this guide illustrates how risk tolerance and capital structures influence a company’s ability to support national security missions.
Government Reports
Army Spc. Kevin Jiminez operates the "Dronebuster" during counter-unmanned aerial systems training near Pabrade, Lithuania, on June 23, 2023 (Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Cesar Rivas, National Guard)
Options to Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Congressional Budget Office
Navy Ship Modernization: DOD Needs Comprehensive Strategy to Field Hypersonic Missile Capability
Government Accountability Office
Cybersecurity Regulations: Multiple Sectors Are Subject to Potentially Duplicative Reporting Requirements
Government Accountability Office
Critical Minerals: Reducing U.S. Import Reliance with Substitution and Recycling Technologies
Government Accountability Office
Research
Members of the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego Operational Forces Contracting Support Team met with a Contracting Officer Representative from Third Fleet, the San Francisco Fleet Week Husbanding Service Provider, and the Supply Officer from the USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) in San Francisco on Oct 3, 2022. (Navy photo by Tristan Pavlik)
The Cost of Delay: Process Analysis of Navy Husbanding Service Provider Contracting
Christopher Abel, Nathan Courter, & Dustin Nollkamper, Naval Postgraduate School
Since implementation of Off-Ship Bill Pay and the Multiple Award Contract strategy in 2016, the Navy husbanding services process has operated under increased oversight and auditability requirements intended to improve transparency and fiscal control. While these reforms improved process control following the Glenn Defense Marine Asia scandal, questions remain regarding their effect on contracting efficiency and cost outcomes. This capstone research examines which contracting process intervals within the Husbanding Service Provider pre-port visit process most influence daily port visit cost from fiscal year (FY)16 through FY26. Using quantitative analysis of over 6,700 overseas Navy port visits extracted from HSPortal, the researchers evaluated five major contracting process intervals and their relationship to daily average port visit cost through descriptive statistics and multivariate regression modeling. The analysis found that longer durations during early requirement validation and task order award increased daily port visit costs in Fifth and Seventh Fleets, while Sixth Fleet showed that compressed contracting timelines were associated with higher cost. The contract award phase was the most consistently significant process interval across all fleets. The researchers conclude that targeted improvements in early coordination, proposal evaluation, and planning time may reduce costs while maintaining audit readiness and operational responsiveness.
The Acquisition Lessons of the 1980s and Their Continuing Relevance
John Lehman & Anand Toprani, Naval War College Review
This article analyzes the atrophied state of the American shipbuilding industry and argues that while the exact maritime strategy of the Cold War is outdated, its cost-control and management successes remain vital for modern defense. The authors highlight how deindustrialization and labor shortages have crippled the nation's ability to produce ships in quantity, making it impossible to mirror the naval buildup of the 1980s. To overcome these industrial deficits and counter the rise of China, the text proposes a return to steady, predictable block-buy orders and the elimination of bureaucratic "concurrency" — the risky practice of building platforms before their designs are finalized.
From Participation to Integration: Outsider Entry and Inventive Output in Defense Acquisition Program Networks
Zachary Ryan, Jonathan Ritschel, et al, SSRN
Innovation is often attributed to the capabilities of exceptional actors, yet in complex technological systems the production of new knowledge is often embedded in networks of inter-organizational exchange (Powell et al., 1996). These exchange relationships provide the pathways through which actors can access, interpret, and recombine information into innovative outcomes. This paper examines how outsider participation shapes inventive output within defense acquisition program networks constructed from U.S. government contract data. Fixed-Effects Poisson estimates from a panel of 421 program-year networks indicate that outsider participation is positively associated with increased future patenting by network participants, and that this association is especially strong when outsiders are structurally integrated through exchange relationships with both government and industry organizations. These findings suggest that innovation policy should focus not only on identifying and funding outside actors, but also on integrating them into the exchange networks through which system-level inventive outcomes emerge.
Events
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...
The USS Constitution sails in the Boston Harbor in honor of Independence Day, July 4, 2025. (Photo: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Raymond Minamic)
The USS Constitution Navigates Future
Steve Infanti, DOW News
The historic USS Constitution has received a 21st-century digital navigation upgrade to ensure safety and operational readiness during the upcoming America 250 fleet events.
- Bridging Three Centuries: Naval engineers from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, successfully integrated 21st-century technology into an 18th-century wooden-hulled frigate, proving that modern solutions can support even the Navy's oldest commissioned assets.
- Digital Navigation Era: The USS Constitution is transitioning from traditional stars and paper charts to a certified Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) to align with modern maritime standards established after the official sunset of paper charts in December 2024.
- Smart Tech Integration: Rather than a permanent, invasive setup, the team utilized a compact emergency navigational laptop — the same reliable backup hardware used across the modern surface fleet. The portable laptop format provides real-time charting and safety data without compromising the ship’s historic integrity, limited space, or strict preservation requirements.
- Standardized Safety: By adopting the latest navigational standard, the Constitution maintains the same positional awareness and movement tracking capabilities required for all modern Navy surface and subsurface vessels.
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