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Rodney Scott Confirmed as New CBP Commissioner
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Rodney Scott confirmed as Customs and Border Protection commissioner by U.S. Senate.

The Senate confirmed Rodney Scott to serve as the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. 

Scott’s confirmation comes amid challenges in securing U.S. borders, CBP said Wednesday, noting that the new commissioner will play a critical role in advancing the agency’s mission of protecting the American people, safeguarding borders and enhancing economic prosperity.

Who Is Rodney Scott?

Scott, a career law enforcement professional, has over three decades of service at CBP, beginning in 1992 when he joined as a U.S. Border Patrol agent. In 2020, he assumed command of the U.S. Border Patrol, a position he held until 2021. His promotion to commissioner makes him the first individual to rise from a GS-5 Border Patrol agent trainee to the CBP’s top leader.

“I’m honored that the United States Senate has confirmed me, and I want to thank President Trump and Secretary Noem for their trust and unwavering leadership,” Scott said in a statement following his confirmation. “I started my career on the front lines, and now I am ready to lead my CBP family with integrity and a clear mission to defend our sovereignty, enforce the law, and put America first.”

Amid the Trump administration’s campaign to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants, Scott will face complex issues related to border enforcement and immigration policies.

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Trump Officially Nominates Space Force’s Michael Guetlein to Lead Golden Dome Initiative
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President Donald Trump nominated Gen. Michael Guetlein to lead the Golden Dome program

President Donald Trump has officially nominated Gen. Michael Guetlein, the current vice chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force and a 2025 Wash100 Award winner, as direct reporting program manager for the Golden Dome project.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also a Wash100 recipient, announced Guetlein’s nomination along with other nominees for leadership positions at the U.S. Air Force on Wednesday.

Who Is Michael Guetlein?

Reports about Trump’s selection of Guetlein as the direct reporting program manager for Golden Dome for America first emerged in May. At a White House press conference, the president praised the four-star general’s “unmatched background in missile warning technology and defense procurement,” adding that Guetlein is known “to move fast.”

Trump Officially Nominates Space Force's Michael Guetlein to Lead Golden Dome Initiative

Gen. Guetlein is one of the keynote speakers at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31. Register for the in-person event here.

As the Space Force’s second-ranking officer, Guetlein assists the chief of space operations in training and equipping space forces around the world, implementing space policies, developing guidelines and coordinating space-related activities.

Before his current role, he served as commander of the Space Systems Command.

Outside of the Space Force, Guetlein held positions at the National Reconnaissance Office, Missile Defense Agency and the Air Force.

Trump’s Air Force Leadership Nominees

Hegseth’s Wednesday announcement also names Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, Gen. Case Cunningham and Gen. John DeGoes.

Spain, deputy chief of staff for operations at USAF, was nominated as commander of the Air Combat Command. He will succeed Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, who is retiring.

Meanwhile, Trump chose Cunningham, current head of the U.S. Alaska Command, to replace Spain as the deputy chief of staff, or the Air Force A-3.

DeGoes will hold the dual roles of surgeon general of the Air Force, his current position, and commander of the Air Force Medical Command.

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Daniel Driscoll on Army Transformation Initiative
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Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll discussed the Army Transformation Initiative during a Senate subcommittee hearing

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said the Army Transformation Initiative will reassess all requirements, prioritize programs that contribute to lethality, cancel unnecessary initiatives and encourage leaders to take risks, DOD News reported Wednesday.

“The Army Transformation Initiative will make us into an Army that is lean, agile and relentlessly focused on empowering its soldiers. We need to get rid of what we don’t need, acquire what we do and chisel our organization down to a lean, lethal fighting machine,” Driscoll said Wednesday during the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee hearing.

Analysis of Proposed Changes Under Army Transformation Initiative

During the hearing, Driscoll told lawmakers that the service will submit to Congress in 10 days an analysis detailing its proposed changes under the Army Transformation Initiative, including its plan to restructure formations, consolidate Army Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command into one entity and cancel programs like the Robotic Combat Vehicle and the M10 Booker light tank, according to a report by Defense News.

“We’d be happy to come by any time, but I think very specifically, you will have that detail within 10 days,” Driscoll said.

According to the Army secretary, the amount of spending planned over the next five years for programs the military branch will cancel or redirect is worth approximately $48 billion.

Expanding ‘Transformation in Contact’ Initiative to Army Guard

The Army Times reported that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said the service has begun identifying Army Guard units for the Transformation in Contact, or TIC, initiative, which started with three infantry brigades.

“We want to do that as fast as we can in the Guard as well,” George said during the Senate subpanel hearing. “They are identifying those units who can do that in the Guard.”

TIC seeks to deliver drones, infantry squad vehicles, counter-drone equipment, electromagnetic warfare capabilities and other new equipment to operational units as they prepare for major training activities and deployments.

The general noted that the Army Guard will have access to those same systems.

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Hegseth Announces Nominations of Daryl Caudle, Michael Donnelly to Key Navy Positions
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Adm. Daryl Caudle and Rear Adm. Michael have been nominated to key positions at the U.S. Navy.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the nominations of Adm. Daryl Caudle and Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly as the next chief of naval operations and commander of the Seventh Fleet, respectively.

The Department of Defense said Wednesday Caudle was also reappointed to the grade of admiral while Donnelly was appointed vice admiral.

Hegseth Announces Nominations of Daryl Caudle, Michael Donnelly to Key Navy Positions

Join us on August 26 at the 2025 Navy Summit to explore the U.S. Navy’s latest appointments, strategic initiatives, and technological advancements.

Who Is Daryl Caudle?

Caudle is the current commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, a role he has held since December 2021. Before this, he served as commander of the Submarine Forces, where he was the undersea domain lead. He was also commander of the Submarine Force Atlantic and the Allied Submarine Command, where he was the principal undersea warfare adviser to all strategic commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Caudle briefly served as vice director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, or J-5. Before that, he was commander of the Pacific Fleet, deputy commander of the 6th Fleet, director of operations U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and commander of Submarine Group Eight. He was also deputy commander of Joint Functional Component Command-Global Strike and deputy chief for security cooperation. Caudle was assigned to various leadership roles for multiple submarines, including commanding officer of USS Jefferson City.

Who Is Michael Donnelly?

Donnelly, who will be assigned in Yokosuka, Japan if confirmed, currently serves as the director of the Air Warfare Division. His extensive career includes commanding the Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154), USS Denver (LPD 9), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Task Force 70 or Carrier Strike Group 5. The naval flight officer also piloted F-14A/B/D Tomcat and F/A-18F Super Hornet in various deployments.

The seasoned officer additionally served on NATO’s International Military Staff and had two tours with the OPNAV Staff’s Air Warfare Directorate. Donnelly was also the commander of Naval Forces Korea.

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DARPA Launches Capstone Program to Boost Software Security
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DARPA's Resilient Software Systems Capstone program is meant to address software vulnerabilities due to aging IT.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in collaboration with all service branches of the Department of Defense, has launched the Resilient Software Systems Capstone program to address software vulnerabilities due to aging IT infrastructure and outdated security policies.

DARPA said Tuesday the Capstone program aims to develop resilient software to eliminate the vulnerabilities of legacy architectures and advanced weapon systems and safeguard critical infrastructure, military code and sensitive systems.

Enhancing Weapon and Support Systems

The agency will work with the military branches to develop advanced software to reinforce the DOD’s systems against threats. It currently utilizes formal methods, or mathematically rigorous software development methods, to create tools. This approach tests the software for vulnerabilities before deployment, rather than the current testing method after it is built. This way, issues could be resolved early, so the software will perform as intended once deployed.

Air Force Leveraging Formal Methods

As part of the Capstone program, the U.S. Air Force will utilize formal methods in its MQ-9 Reaper program. The approach works to reduce the time needed to test and evaluate the software. Original equipment manufacturers and program offices typically use static code analysis tools to detect software stability issues and cyber vulnerabilities, which takes 12 to 18 months. To address this, the OEMS and program offices will now utilize software acceleration tools on existing code.

The other military branches will partner with DARPA on various projects intended to evaluate formal methods’ resilience, efficacy, cost, time and expertise on operational platforms. Each joint initiative, which will run for two years, aims to develop more secure software, fast-track the Authority to Operate process, optimize software developmental testing and establish a guide for broad adoption.

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Energy Department Accelerates Authorization for New Nuclear Reactor Tests
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DOE released a request for applications from organizations that could build and run nuclear reactors outside of national labs

The Department of Energy has introduced a new pathway to expedite testing of advanced nuclear reactor designs.

In a request for applications, DOE said it is seeking companies that can construct and operate test reactors outside of the national laboratories. Submissions are due on July 21.

DOE Announces Accelerated Authorization Process for Nuclear Reactors

According to the agency, the nuclear reactors will not provide commercial power or services but will serve as research, development and demonstration of the technology.

DOE will select at least three proposals for approval to ensure that criticality can be achieved in each of the nuclear reactors by July 2026.

Interested parties may participate in an upcoming industry day to be held at the offices of the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C., and online on Zoom. Registration for the event is open until Friday, June 20.

Establishing the US as a Global Nuclear Energy Leader

The program is in line with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy, which was signed in May to drive innovation and accelerate the domestic production of advanced nuclear technologies.

“For too long, the federal government has stymied the development and deployment of advanced civil nuclear reactors in the United States,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright commented. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are expediting the development of next-generation nuclear technologies and giving American innovators a new path forward to advance their designs, propelling our economic prosperity and bolstering our national security.”

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NASA to Test FOSS Sensor System Performance During Hypersonic Flight
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NASA is set to test its Fiber Optic Sensing System

NASA is preparing to demonstrate its Fiber Optic Sensing System, or FOSS, and evaluate its performance at hypersonic speeds.

The agency said Wednesday the FOSS will be installed onto two research rockets, reaching a speed greater than Mach 5. The system’s first flights, to be conducted in summer 2025 in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in Edwards, California and the 586th Flight Test Squadron, will be used to assess its capability to measure strain and temperature on high-speed vehicles.

What Is Fiber Optic Sensing System?

FOSS is a system that utilizes a hair-thin fiber to gather strain and temperature data along its length. This advanced fiber significantly reduces the weight and space that came with other wire harnesses and sensors.

Testing NASA’s FOSS

Aside from the planned test flights, the new NASA system underwent rigorous testing in its early stages. On March 26, FOSS was subjected to vibration tests at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, which verified its ability to operate during a rocket launch.

Advancing Hypersonic Technology

Under the Advanced Air Vehicles Program, NASA focuses on advancing hypersonics and intends to leverage FOSS to gather crucial data on vehicle strain and temperature during flight. This will give engineers critical information on the rocket or aircraft’s condition.

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Army Selects Brandon Pugh as Principal Cyber Adviser
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Brandon Pugh is the Army's new principal cyber adviser.

The U.S. Army has appointed Brandon Pugh as principal cyber adviser. Pugh confirmed his new role in a LinkedIn post Monday. 

“I am honored and excited to start as the Principal Cyber Advisor for the Department of the Army,” he wrote. “would like to thank both President Trump and Secretary Driscoll for giving me the opportunity to serve our great country, especially in an area that I am passionate about and there is much to do!”

He succeeds Michael Sulmeyer, who stepped down from the role in 2024 to become the first cyber policy chief at the Department of Defense. 

Who Is Brandon Pugh?

Pugh serves as a national security law professor at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School and a non-resident fellow at the Army Cyber Institute.

He also led the development of public policy strategy for cybersecurity and emerging threats teams at R Street Institute, a Washington-based think tank. 

His career includes positions at American Consulting and Training, Journal of Law & Cyber Warfare, New Jersey School Boards Association and the FBI.

Army Principal Cyber Adviser Responsibilities

In his new role, the cyber and national security expert will work closely with the secretary of the Army and the Army chief of staff on matters related to the cyber domain. He will also be in charge of reviewing the service’s cyber budget, acquiring cyber tools and capabilities, improving the culture of cyber warfighting, and implementing the Department of Defense Cyber Strategy.

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USPTO Advances Generative AI Adoption
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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is advancing the use of generative AI technologies

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is advancing the use of generative artificial intelligence tools to streamline business operations and enable employees to focus more on high-impact work, Nextgov/FCW reported Tuesday.

“The biggest lesson we learned [when introducing AI] was that all AI requires knowing your data, knowing data structure, data elements, data flow and, most importantly, data security,” Jamie Holcombe, chief information officer at USPTO, said Tuesday at an agency-hosted discussion.

“We realize that we are now in an era of intelligent computing where we succeed only by combining data, AI and infrastructure security for results and measurable outcomes,” Holcombe added.

Scout Chatbot Assistant

Some of the AI tools that USPTO uses are the Patents End-to-End search tool and Scout.

Scout is short for searching, consolidating, outlining and understanding. It is a chatbot assistant built from a large language model designed to help detect improper filings, support code development and advance cybersecurity threat detection efforts.

Debbie Stephens, deputy CIO at USPT, said the Scout platform supports over 200 users as of June.

“We believe our homegrown GenAI web application, Scout, has already proven its capabilities and look forward to a beta version in late summer,” Stephens noted.

RFI on AI Capabilities

In early June, USPTO started soliciting industry information on AI capabilities to enhance the patent and trademark examination processes.

According to the RFI, the agency is seeking contractors with new AI tools or IT capabilities that could improve its efficiency in granting patents, registering trademarks and advancing intellectual property policies.

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Col. Nathan Stuckey Appointed Director of AFWERX
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AFWERX has named a new director: Col. Nathan Stuckey.

Col. Nathan Stuckey was officially appointed director of AFWERX during a change of leadership ceremony held on June 17 at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The Air Force Research Laboratory said Tuesday that Stuckey will also serve as the chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force. In his new role, Stuckey will spearhead AFWERX’s initiatives to drive rapid development and meet critical national defense needs. He succeeds Col. Elliott Leigh, who has held the dual role since December 2022.

Col. Stuckey’s Career Highlights

Prior to his appointment, Stuckey served as the military deputy director for the Rapid Sustainment Office, where he oversaw the rapid fielding of sustainment capabilities by utilizing advanced technologies to enhance mission readiness and minimize lifecycle costs.

Stuckey was also the deputy chief of the C-5M Super Galaxy Division, materiel leader of the B-1 Systems Engineering Branch and project manager of both the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service and Future Systems of the White House Communications Agency. The new director also held leadership roles with the 46th Test Squadron and the Directed Energy Directorate.

AFRL commander Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei presided over the event and said, “We’re already in a serious science and technology competition with some pretty competitive people on the world market. Our job is to win that fight — and we can’t do it without working together with the innovation ecosystem and without AFWERX doing what it does best.”

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