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FBI Promotes Veteran Agent Brett Leatherman as Cyber Operations Assistant Director
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Veteran FBI agent Brett Leatherman has been promoted to cyber operations assistant director and cyber division head.

Seasoned FBI agent Brett Leatherman shared in a LinkedIn post Monday his appointment as the bureau’s assistant director for cyber operations. Already with more than 22 years of tenure with the FBI, Leatherman served for over a year as the bureau’s cyber operations deputy assistant director previous to his promotion, according to his profile on the social media platform. 

Cybersecurity Intelligence Network 

In his new role, he will head the FBI’s cyber division and its outreach personnel and teams as they collaborate with key public and private sector partners to mitigate U.S. cyber threats. Leatherman will also develop the bureau’s local and international cybersecurity network to foster information sharing among U.S. government agencies, private industry and international organizations.

FBI Promotes Veteran Agent Brett Leatherman as Cyber Operations Assistant Director

Learn more about data-sharing between the intelligence community and private industry from the talks and discussions at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Intel Summit on October 2. Book a seat now!

Other FBI positions that he held previously include an 18-year stint as a supervisory special agent in charge of national cyberthreat management through joint efforts with the U.S. intelligence community, global partner organizations and private industry.

Besides his FBI work, Leatherman is also a part-time adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He obtained a master’s degree in cybersecurity management from the university and a bachelor of arts in business administration/computer information systems from Cornerstone University.

Predecessor Joins Microsoft

Leatherman took over the FBI cyber division head position from Bryan Vorndran, who departed from the FBI in May after over 21 years of service and joined Microsoft as deputy chief information security officer.

Another FBI cyber division official, Cynthia Kaiser, also left the bureau last week to join Halcyon, a San Diego-based anti-ransomware platform provider.

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House Appropriations Panel Unveils $831.5B FY26 Defense Spending Bill
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Capitol Hill building, home to the U.S. Congress

The House Appropriations Committee on Monday released a bill that would appropriate $831.5 billion in defense funding for fiscal year 2026, adhering to the discretionary budget topline in the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed budget.

Advancing US Military Superiority

The FY 2026 defense appropriations bill seeks to enhance investments in 5th and 6th generation aircraft, including the F-35, F-47 and F/A-XX; support modernization of the nuclear triad that includes the B-21 Raider, Columbia-class submarine and Sentinel; and targeting resources for unmanned aerial systems, uncrewed maritime platforms and land-based counter-unmanned aerial systems to advance capabilities and strengthen national defense.

The measure would invest in national security space, including missile tracking satellite, proliferated missile warning and next-generation intelligence collection systems; allocate about $13 billion for missile defense and space programs in support of the Golden Dome project; and preserve F-15s and U-2s while investing in next-generation fighter aircraft and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

The proposed legislation would continue to prioritize innovation by providing $1.3 billion combined for the Defense Innovation Unit, the Office of Strategic Capital, and the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program.

Space Systems Procurement

The measure includes $2 billion to buy 11 space launch missions under the third phase of the National Security Space Launch contract and $680 million to procure two GPS IIIF spacecraft.

Under the defense bill, $7 billion would go to classified space programs, $3.9 billion for missile warning/missile tracking systems and $1.8 billion for jam-resistant and wideband military satellite communications.

Hypersonics Programs

The legislation would provide $955 million for the Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon; $483.5 million for the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program; $806 million for the continued development of the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike program; and $412 million for hypersonics test infrastructure.

Other DOD Provisions

The bill proposes an increase of 3.8 percent in basic pay for all military personnel; seeks to reduce $3.6 billion and almost 45,000 civilian full-time equivalents to capture Workforce Acceleration and Recapitalization Initiative efforts; and requires detailed reporting on DOD’s proposed allocations and expenditures of reconciliation.

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Bipartisan Bill to Foster Defense Tech Innovation Through Hubs Initiative
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A Democrat and a Republican senator have come together to create a new law to spur defense tech innovation in the midwest.

Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo, and John Hickenlooper, D-Co, have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at encouraging defense technology innovation and investment in 10 regions across the country.

Schmitt said Monday the Defense Technology Hubs Act aims to promote the modernization of the defense innovation base and generate jobs through the construction of tech hubs in Missouri, Colorado and other parts of the country.

What Is the Defense Technology Hubs Act?

The bipartisan bill mandates the Department of Defense to establish a program meant to support the facilities in developing defense technologies. The act also highlights the need for a codified eligibility requirements to be deemed a Department of Defense tech hub; regional collaboration and stakeholder commitment; and the presence of “anchor” federal defense institutions or military installations.

The Defense Technology Hubs Act will ensure the hubs do not duplicate existing efforts, prevent foreign entities from participating and authorize $375 million for fiscal years 2026 to 2030.

“We cannot deter great power conflict, we cannot protect the American way of life and we cannot guarantee peace through strength if we cannot build the tools of defense at scale and speed,” remarked Schmitt.

“America needs to double down on our innovation advantage to compete with China’s accelerating investments,” said Hickenlooper.

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New Trump EO Amends Biden, Obama Era Cybersecurity Rules
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A new Trump EO is designed to change the software accounting process for federal contractors and digital identity mandates

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order rolling back some cybersecurity requirements from previous administrations. 

The White House said Friday that provisions under EO 14144, or Strengthening and Promoting Innovation in the Nation’s Cybersecurity, and 13694, or Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities, have been amended.

What Was Repealed? 

According to a fact sheet, the new EO addresses “problematic elements” of the cyber rules set by former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. 

One cyber action removed under the Trump EO is the introduction of software accounting processes, which the White House described as prioritizing “compliance checklists over genuine security investments.” 

EO 14144, issued in January 2025, required federal contractors to submit secure software development attestations. Vendors were also required to submit technical data to back up their attestation, which the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was tasked to review, noted Cybersecurity Dive.   

Trump also rolled back digital identity mandates from Biden’s EO that, the White House explained, are prone to abuse by “illegal immigrants to improperly access public benefits.” 

Strengthening Cybersecurity Efforts

The new EO also aims to bolster the nation’s cybersecurity, especially in the face of rising foreign threats. 

The document specifically mentioned China as “the most active and persistent cyber threat” to the American government, critical infrastructure and private sector, but warned that Russia, North Korea and Iran could also undermine U.S. security. 

In addition, Trump directed federal agencies to accelerate efforts toward adopting artificial intelligence to respond to and eliminate system vulnerabilities and post-quantum cryptography to protect government assets from future attacks.

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DLA Plans Distribution Network Modernization for Contested Environments
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The Defense Logistics Agency has introduced a distribution network modernization effort based on data-driven decision-making.

The Defense Logistics Agency has announced that it is modernizing its distribution network to support military operations in complex and contested environments.

U.S. Army Maj. James Marley, DLA Distribution’s joint logistics contingency planner for U.S. Central Command, released a new white paper highlighting the shift in logistics from a back-end function to a critical component of military success. Marley draws this conclusion from the Ukraine conflict and the mounting strategic competition with China and Russia. He also emphasized the need to adapt to cyber threats, such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack.

Key Factors of Modernization

The DLA’s modernization initiative is anchored in four core functions: establishing the conditions for innovation; streamlining enterprise-level systems management; applying data-driven management; and advancing warehouse operations. It embraces operational complexity and focuses on readiness and resilience instead of efficiency and cost, enabling operations through uncertainty and degraded conditions. It hinges on data-driven decision-making and advanced technologies to gain operational oversight through real-time performance tracking, predictive analytics and visualization of operational trends.

Logistics Agency Learning From Past Mistakes

The agency is applying lessons from the 2017 supply misallocation that cost $49 million and other missteps to enhance forecasting methods with data-driven decision-making. It will no longer rely on after-action reports, allowing logisticians to address supply chain issues efficiently.

“Data is no longer a lagging indicator. It is a decision-making tool that shapes how DLA Distribution allocates resources, manages labor and postures inventory,” wrote Marley.

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GSA Announces Transactional Data Reporting Expansion for Increased Procurement Transparency
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GSA is expanding its Transactional Data Reporting program in an effort to benefit the government and contractors.

The General Services Administration will add 62 new products and cloud services special item numbers, or SINS, to Transactional Data Reporting by the end of June to increase transparency into government procurement and product pricing. 

The TDR expansion to all SINS will begin in the fiscal year 2026, GSA said, adding that all SIN holders are now required to participate in TDR. 

TDR Delivers Market Intelligence

The agency introduced TDR in August 2016 as an optional pilot program designed to allow companies to hold multiple award schedule contracts without the burden of legacy pricing restrictions and provide GSA with critical insight into what the federal government is buying to enable smarter purchasing.

TDR requires participating GSA contractors to submit monthly reports of the prices paid for GSA products and services, along with other transactional data, on a line-item basis. Providing such data exempts contractors from disclosing commercial sales practices, establishing a ‘most favored customer’ or ‘basis of award,’ tracking and maintaining the relationship between GSA pricing and MFC or BOA customer pricing, and complying with the Price Reductions Clause.

“Comprehensive data on purchased items and corresponding prices will empower our contracting officers to negotiate effectively and secure the best value for taxpayer dollars,” said Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, a 2025 Wash100 Award recipient. “Much like our private industry partners, GSA depends on data to make the best decisions about procurement. Transactional Data Reporting will provide the federal government with the critical and essential market intelligence to help aid the government’s effort to create a transparent, optimized and streamlined marketplace for goods and services.”

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Chanel Bankston-Carter Named VA OSDBU Acting Executive Director
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Headshot of Chanel Bankston-Carter, acting executive director of VA Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

The Department of Veterans Affairs has appointed Chanel Bankston-Carter, a U.S. Army veteran, as acting executive director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, or OSDBU.

VA OSDBU announced Bankston-Carter’s appointment in a LinkedIn post published Friday.

In this capacity, she oversees programs to foster participation of service-disabled veteran-owned and veteran-owned small businesses in VA procurement and federal contracting efforts.

She brings to the role a distinguished career in public service, experience in strategic transformation and small business engagement, and a commitment to expanding economic opportunities for veteran entrepreneurs.

Chanel Bankston-Carter’s Career Background

Bankston-Carter previously served as director of program integration for VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office. In this role, she was responsible for cross-organizational and cross-functional coordination of systems and programs across VA and the Department of Defense to VA’s new EHR system.

The University of Arkansas graduate has held various positions at VA, including director of strategic outreach and communications at OSDBU; VA Congressional Fellow for Sen. Tammy Duckworth; program manager for the Veterans Employment Service Office; director of the Customer Service Center at the VA Central Office; and supervisory program manager for the Center for Women Veterans.

She started her VA career in Waco, Texas, as a counseling psychologist.

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EOs Seek to Ensure US Leadership in Drones, Restore American Airspace Sovereignty
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A pair of new EOs aim to ensure U.S. leadership in drone development and establish a task force for airspace dominance.

President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders that seek to strengthen U.S. leadership in the development and commercialization of unmanned aircraft systems and ensure U.S. sovereignty over national airspace amid threats posed by UAS.

Advancing UAS Integration Into the National Airspace System

The White House said Friday the EO titled Unleashing American Drone Dominance directs the secretary of the Department of Transportation to release an updated roadmap for the integration of civil UAS into the national airspace system within 240 days.

The DOT secretary should ensure that all Federal Aviation Administration drone test ranges are fully utilized to advance the development, testing and scaling of U.S.-built drones with a focus on beyond visual line of sight operations, advanced air mobility and autonomous operations.

Delivering Drones to Warfighters

The new policy directs the secretary of the Department of Defense to ensure that all platforms on the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS List can operate on all military bases or ranges without requiring an exception and expand the Blue UAS list within 90 days to include all drones and critical components compliant with section 848 of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

Within 90 days, the DOD secretary should coordinate with the secretary of transportation to streamline the approval process to broaden access to airspace for conducting drone training and task each military department to identify programs that would be more cost-efficient if replaced by UAS.

Other provisions include the establishment of an electric vertical takeoff and landing pilot program, efforts to strengthen the U.S. drone industrial base and measures to support the export of U.S.-made civil drones and related systems through the use of direct loans, loan guarantees, equity investments and co-financing, among other mechanisms.

Task Force to Restore US Airspace Sovereignty

The president signed another EO that directs the establishment of the Federal Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty, which will be chaired by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

The task force will review technical, operational and regulatory frameworks and propose solutions to UAS threats.

Airspace Regulations to Ensure Public Safety

The presidential action, Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty, requires the FAA administrator to submit a notice of proposed rulemaking to the Office of Management and Budget and the task force establishing the required process for restricting drone flights over fixed site facilities.

Within 180 days, the FAA administrator should make notices to airmen and temporary flight restrictions freely available online for drone geofencing and aircraft navigation and guidance system purposes.

Building Counter-Drone Capacity

Within 30 days, the attorney general and the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security should explore integrating counter-UAS operational responses as part of Joint Terrorism Task Forces to protect mass gathering events.

The policy also directs the administration to establish a national training center for counter-UAS to develop the needed counter-drone capacity to secure major events.

Other provisions in the EO include requiring the FAA administrator and attorney general to boost enforcement of civil and criminal laws against drone operators endangering the public, violating airspace restrictions or committing a crime; authorizing federal agencies to use existing authorities to detect, track and identify drones and UAS signals; publishing guidance to help private critical infrastructure owners and operator use drone detection technologies; and calling for a risk-based assessment to designate large airports, borders, critical infrastructure and military installations as protected areas.

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AFWERX, SpaceWERX Launch Manufacturing Open Topic Solicitation
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AFWERX and SpaceWERX aim to enhance the DIB through a Manufacturing Focused Open Topic solicitation.

AFWERX has collaborated with SpaceWERX to launch the 25.5 Release 9 Manufacturing Focused Open Topic Direct-to-Phase II, or D2P2, Solicitation, according to a LinkedIn post shared Friday.

Reinforcing the Defense Industrial Base

The Department of the Air Force’s innovation arm and Air Force Research Laboratory directorate said the initiative is designed to strengthen the defense industrial base through strategic partnerships with American small businesses. It utilizes the Small Business Innovation Research program to support advanced technologies from industry and academia while partnering with the AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, the Rapid Sustainment Office, the Defense Innovation Unit and other major stakeholders. These collaborations establish stringent qualifications and certifications to evaluate new manufacturing techniques.

AFWERX, SpaceWERX Launch Manufacturing Open Topic SolicitationLearn about the defense industrial base and other critical air and space defense components. Register and join the discussion at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit.

The Focused Open Topic solicitation started accepting submissions on June 4 and will be open to applicants until July 9. The submissions will be managed through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal, or DSIP. Applications are required to have a Government Engagement Memorandum confirming support from a valid Department of the Air Force customer. They must also align with any of the six focus areas, including:

 

  • Engine production with advanced manufacturing
  • Advanced composite structures
  • Semiconductor production innovations
  • Radiation-tolerant/hardened electronics
  • System integration and interoperability
  • Affordable energetics

“We will continue our strong partnership with innovative manufacturing companies. Our vision is to transform the American defense industrial base, leveraging the ingenuity of our private sector,” said Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force.

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Army Opens Weapon Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility
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The U.S. Army has opened the Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Army has officially opened the Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania. 

The new facility supports the Army’s modernization and ensures that the service branch cannot only sustain legacy systems but also enable the integration of new technologies into future platforms, said Liz Miranda, executive deputy to the commanding general of the Army Materiel Command, during the plant’s opening ceremony held Sunday. 

Army Establishes Microelectronics Factory in Pennsylvania

The Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility at Tobyhanna Army Depot will house engineers and technicians who will develop, manufacture and test circuit cards for the Department of Defense. 

Mark Sgobba, lead electronics engineer at Tobyhanna Army Depot, has been looking into establishing a facility dedicated to making microelectronics for the military for years. The military, like other industries across the United States, relies on foreign sources for chip components used in weapon systems, creating a significant national security risk. 

Army Opens Weapon Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility

Learn more about the most urgent challenges that the U.S. Army faces at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Army Summit on June 18. Register for the in-person event here.

According to Sgobba, the Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility creates an opportunity for Tobyhanna Army Depot to expand its capabilities and create an agile and future-ready workforce.

James L. Crocker, depot commander, shared at the opening ceremony that the Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility is only part one of a four-phase project to support the DOD’s chip demands. 

“We look forward to expanding our capacity and capability for this critical warfighter readiness mission,” he commented. 

Tobyhanna Army Depot delivers logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance across all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. 

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