///
NGA Announces Plan to Award Up to 10 Luno Task Orders Soon
Published on
Frank Whitworth says NGA has a goal of awarding Luno A and B commercial AI-powered analytics task orders by early 2026.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is planning to award up to 10 task orders under the Luno A and B programs within the current fiscal year, Breaking Defense reported.

Luno A and Luno B have a combined ceiling of $490 million, with a five-year base ordering period for each indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. NGA selected 10 companies to compete for the $290 million Luno A IDIQ, which focuses on artificial intelligence-enabled analysis of satellite imagery from commercial operators. For the $200 million Luno B IDIQ, the agency chose 13 companies to compete for commercial AI products and services task orders.  

NGA Announces Plan to Award Up to 10 Luno Task Orders Soon

Together, the contract vehicles aim to support national security missions and enable NGA to analyze global economic, environmental, geopolitical and illicit activities through the delivery of unclassified satellite imagery and AI-powered data analytics.

In today’s complex and interconnected world, intelligence plays a crucial role in safeguarding the nation, preventing crises and informing policy decisions. The rise of new threats, technological advancements and geopolitical shifts has made intelligence-gathering and analysis more essential than ever. Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Intel Summit, where the intelligence community’s top leaders will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the IC today and into the future. Register here!

Ursa Space Systems Secures Luno A Task Order

So far, the NGA has only awarded task orders under Luno A. Speaking at the recent GEOINT Symposium, NGA Director Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, a four-time Wash100 award recipient, announced that Ursa Space Systems won the third Luno A task order, worth $13.8 million, for its Global Oil Awareness Tracker designed to “provide unclassified commercial geoanalytics of petroleum-based production and storage facilities.” The first and second delivery orders were respectively awarded to Maxar Technologies for monitoring NGA clients’ target sites and to Electromagnetic Systems Inc. for providing detailed terrain maps of various areas.

According to Devin Brande, the agency’s director of commercial operations, two more Luno A task orders could be awarded soon, noting the NGA’s goal of awarding the bulk of task orders for both programs by early 2026 to provide more time for ensuring the new capabilities are properly integrated into government enterprise systems and transitioning them into production and use.

//
House OKs Budget Reconciliation Bill With $150B for National Defense
Published on
The House passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes $150 billion for national defense spending.

The House on Thursday voted 215-214 to pass a budget reconciliation measure that includes $150 billion in mandatory funding to reinforce U.S. national defense and implement President Trump’s Peace Through Strength agenda.

“The One Big, Beautiful Bill provides long overdue resources to modernize our military, revitalize the defense industrial base, and improve the quality of life for our servicemembers,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said in a statement published Thursday.

“The House and Senate Armed Services Committees worked closely together and with the White House to develop this critical legislation, and Speaker Johnson has worked closely with all of the committees involved to develop a comprehensive budget bill that best serves our taxpayers. I’m looking forward to sending this to the President’s desk as soon as possible,” the Alabama congressman added.

Golden Dome for America

The reconciliation bill, which is now headed to the Senate, includes $25 billion for the proposed next-generation missile defense shield called Golden Dome for America. The project seeks to develop space-based assets to defend the homeland against hypersonic threats.

The Department of Defense recently developed a draft architecture and implementation plan for the missile defense shield project.

Maritime Industrial Base Investment

The legislation proposes $34 billion in funding to support shipbuilding initiatives, enhance the U.S. naval fleet’s capability and improve infrastructure in the maritime industrial base.

The measure also includes investments in autonomous surface and subsurface technologies.

Other Defense Priority Investments

The bill outlines other priority investments, including $21 billion to restock the country’s munitions arsenal; $14 billion to expand DOD initiatives to accelerate the development and delivery of weapons systems to warfighters; and $13 billion to expedite nuclear triad modernization.

The legislation would also provide $11 billion to expand military exercises and improve readiness of Indo-Pacific forces; $7 billion to speed up the delivery of next-generation aircraft and autonomous systems; $5 billion for border security initiatives; and $400 million to invest in IT systems and artificial intelligence tools to help DOD pass a clean audit.

//
Air Force Releases Paper on ‘Cyber Cake’ Concept
Published on
Digital pad lock with a key hole representing cybersecurity and data protection

The Department of the Air Force Chief Information Officer has published a paper explaining the ‘cyber cake‘ concept to provide a structured, transparent framework to achieve a stronger cybersecurity posture.

FIPS Strategy as the Base

The Federal Information Processing Standards, or FIPS, strategy serves as the cyber cake’s base. 

According to the concept paper, organizations should begin with FIPS to establish mandatory security standards for federal information systems and ensure a baseline of security to support broader cybersecurity strategies.

Risk Management Framework as the Platter

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Risk Management Framework, or RMF, serves as the platter, providing a structured approach that organizations can use to identify, evaluate and mitigate risks to protect information and systems.

The Cyber Cake’s 5 Layers

The 34-page document outlines the five layers of the cyber cake: the supply chain risk management, or SCRM, strategy; cybersecurity SCRM strategy, or C-SCRM; cyber resilience engineering framework, or CREF; zero trust strategy; and the MITRE Adversarial Tactics, Techniques and Common Knowledge, also known as the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

According to the concept paper, SCRM and RMF serve as the baseline frameworks, providing the key structure for the risk management and supply chain risk management practices that CREF and C-SCRM build on to address cybersecurity and resilience.

Meanwhile, CREF integrates principles from SCRM and RMF to help improve an organization’s ability to recover from cyber incidents.

The paper also cites other components of the cyber cake, including privacy; the NIST Secure Software Development Framework; controlled unclassified information; artificial intelligence and machine learning; and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

/
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Reveals Trump’s Pick for Coast Guard Commandant
Published on
Headshot of Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Kristi Noem, secretary of Homeland Security and a 2025 Wash100 Award winner, has revealed President Donald Trump’s pick as the 28th commandant of the Coast Guard. At a recent Coast Guard Academy Commencement ceremony, the official shared that Trump will nominate Adm. Kevin Lunday, who currently serves as acting commandant of the Coast Guard. 

Who Is Kevin Lunday?

Lunday has served in the Coast Guard for nearly 40 years. He has extensive experience in maritime law enforcement and maritime operations on U.S. waters and overseas in the Arctic, the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic regions. 

He assumed the responsibilities of acting commandant in January 2025, following former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan’s departure.  

Lunday also previously served as commander of the Atlantic Area, Fourteenth Coast Guard District and the Coast Guard Cyber Command. 

Leading Force Design 2028

If confirmed by the Senate, Lunday will oversee the implementation of Force Design 2028, which will strengthen the readiness of the Coast Guard. Unveiled in April, Force Design 2028 identifies four campaigns: people; organization; acquisition and contracting; and technology.

According to Noem, Force Design 2028 is a “bold blueprint” to drive urgent action. 

“Now, more than ever, the American people need a strong and capable Coast Guard,” the secretary said. “The Coast Guard must not simply evolve. It must revolutionize how it functions and operates to ensure decisive advantage over adversaries. This requires a fundamental change.”

In a statement, Adm. Lunday added that Force Design 2028 is the way forward. 

“I am honored to lead our Coast Guard men and women in this historic effort to renew the Service for the future,” he said.

///
Guardians to Begin Training on Meadowlands Counter Comms System
Published on
US Space Force counter communication platform

U.S. Space Force Guardians will start training on the Counter Communication System, or CCS, Meadowlands, following the recent approval to field an upgraded version of the platform that L3Harris Technologies developed. The system upgrade features a lighter and more compact version that will enhance joint and allied warfighters’ space electromagnetic warfare capabilities, the Space Operations Command announced Wednesday.

Guardians to Begin Training on Meadowlands Counter Comms System

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Defense Summit on July 31, which is now open for registration, for more about emerging technologies for warfighters.

Open Software Architecture

CCS Meadowlands is the Space Force’s first tactical electronic warfare system for detecting, identifying and disrupting adversaries’ communication. With its upgrade, the system will provide remote capability, automation and multi-system management. The new version operates through a more open software architecture that would simplify software updates needed for warfighters to keep pace with evolving threats and mission requirements, SpOC said. The system allows one operator to boost simultaneous remote mission management by 300 percent, the command also noted.

The CCS Meadowlands upgrade was made possible through the collaboration and integration efforts between SpOC and SSC, with the Guardians providing support and feedback.

Lt. Col. Natasha Peeples, USSF materiel leader and sustainment squadron commander under SpOC’s Mission Delta 3 – Space Electromagnetic Warfare, described the system’s upgrade as “historic moment that builds upon years of hard work” on CCS Meadowlands’ program baseline. “It was an all-hands-on-deck rapid sprint to the finish line, and we are incredibly proud of this moment for operations and the USSF,” the guardian official remarked. 

L3Harris initially developed an updated CCS version in April 2020 designed to help the U.S. Space Force jam adversaries’ satellite communications. The company delivered to the Department of Defense the first two CCS Meadowlands on April 8, enabling U.S. government integrated tests on them from April 14 to May 2.

//
Ohio-based Research Institute Secures $500M AFRL R&D Contract
Published on
The UDRI won a nearly $500 million AFRL research and development contract focused on enhancing operational effectiveness.

The University of Dayton Research Institute will perform research and evaluation of complex solutions that could improve the effectiveness of operational and urgent systems under a $499.99 million cost-plus fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

The contract provides for the development, testing, prototyping, demonstration and transition of technologies to improve operational effectiveness through improved energy technology and the reduction of manufacturing and lifecycle sustainment burden of coatings, materials, inspections, repairs, energy, and resource technologies and processes, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and in Dayton, Ohio, through May 17, 2032. The AFRL obligated $18.86 million in fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds at the time of the award.

Air Force Contract Wins

UDRI previously won R&D contracts with the Air Force. In 2018, the university was awarded a six-year, $72 million contract to support the AFRL’s Quick-Reaction Evaluation of Materials and Processes program through component failure analysis, material and mechanical property evaluations and corrosion assessments.

In 2023, UDRI secured a three-year, $12.5 million contract to design, develop and transfer augmented reality tools to the Air Force to support its use of extended reality resources for systems maintenance activities such as spraying, coating and robotics control.

///
GAO Report Calls on NTIA to Implement Cyber, Interoperability Practices Into IT Modernization
Published on
A visualization of IT modernization

The Government Accountability Office has called on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop and implement organization-wide risk assessment, establish a data governance plan and implement other leading cybersecurity and interoperability practices to enhance the spectrum and broadband agency. 

In a report published Thursday, GAO pointed out that implementing these practices would enable the NTIA to mitigate, reduce, identify and track risks. 

NTIA’s Modernization Journey

According to the congressional watchdog, NTIA has been in the process of modernizing its spectrum IT for over three years. In December 2024, the telecommunications agency awarded two contracts with a total value of $110 million to support the effort. 

However, the watchdog pointed out that NTIA will continue to use its legacy IT. 

GAO Recommendations

In the report, GAO found that NTIA did implement all leading cybersecurity practices during the planning stage of its modernization project. While the agency categorized and managed risks associated with its legacy spectrum IT systems, the NTIA did not have a risk management strategy and did not conduct an organization-wide risk assessment. NTIA also did not fully define user privilege levels for its systems. 

In terms of interoperability, NTIA followed and implemented GAO’s leading practices for collaboration. The report also noted that NTIA fully adopted three of the five leading practices for data governance. However, the agency has no data governance plan to address conflicts that might arise from new standards. 

GAO made five recommendations, all of which NTIA concurred with.

//
NSA Publishes Joint Guidance on AI System Data Security
Published on
The cyber and intel agencies of the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and the UK have released a joint cybersecurity info sheet

The cybersecurity and intelligence agencies of the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have released a joint cybersecurity information sheet urging public and private sector organizations using artificial intelligence systems and those planning to integrate the technology into their operations to implement best practices and recommendations for AI data security.

NSA Publishes Joint Guidance on AI System Data Security

In today’s complex and interconnected world, intelligence plays a crucial role in safeguarding the nation, preventing crises and informing policy decisions. The rise of new threats, technological advancements and geopolitical shifts has made intelligence-gathering and analysis more essential than ever. Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Intel Summit, where the intelligence community’s top leaders will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the IC today and into the future. Register here.

Protecting the data used throughout the development, testing and operation of an AI system will ensure the accuracy and integrity of AI outcomes and help mitigate risks arising from data integrity issues in various stages of AI development and deployment, according to the CSI the National Security Agency published Thursday.

Data Security Risks

The document provides an in-depth examination of three significant areas of data security risks in AI systems, namely data supply chain, maliciously modified data and data drift, and offers general best practices to mitigate such risks and secure sensitive, proprietary or mission-critical data throughout the AI system lifecycle. The best practices include employing digital signatures to authenticate trusted revisions, tracking data provenance and leveraging trusted infrastructure.

Cyber Info Sheet Authors

The document was authored by the NSA’s Artificial Intelligence Security Center, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and the national cybersecurity centers of New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

//
John Hobbs Named CTO for MDA Transformation & IT Office
Published on
John Hobbs is now chief technology officer at the Missile Defense Agency’s Transformation and IT Office.

The Missile Defense Agency has promoted John Hobbs, most recently director of digital infrastructure, to chief technology officer at the Transformation and Information Technology Office.

Hobbs announced his appointment in a LinkedIn post published Wednesday.

He is an experienced IT professional with skills in cloud, virtualization, information security and systems engineering, among other areas.

John Hobbs’ Career Background

According to his profile on the professional networking site, Hobbs joined MDA in 2022 as a cloud specialist. He also served as cloud and data center manager at the agency.

Prior to MDA, the IT executive worked at Jacobs, where he served as CTO for the ‍Integrated Research and Development for Enterprise Solutions program and chief of operations.

He also held IT leadership roles at Northrop Grumman, OPEC and Priority Systems.

Hobbs has a bachelor’s degree in IT from National American University-Colorado Springs.

/
Johns Hopkins APL Appoints Robert Vercher as Strategic Deterrence Mission Area Exec
Published on
Headshot of Robert Vercher, strategic deterrence mission area executive at Johns Hopkins APL

Robert Vercher has assumed new responsibilities as the strategic deterrence mission area executive at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. APL said Wednesday that Vercher will ensure the delivery of key engineering and technical capabilities, analyses and evaluations to the U.S. Navy and Air Force. 

“It’s a privilege to lead such a talented team at the forefront of the nation’s nuclear modernization programs, and I am proud to build on the vital contributions that our mission area has delivered for many decades,” the executive commented.

The strategic deterrence mission area works with the U.S. government and industry to evolve legacy systems and capabilities to better meet the needs of current and future threats. 

Vercher succeeds Steve Lewia, who led the lab’s strategic deterrence mission area for nearly 10 years.

Who Is Robert Vercher?

The executive joined APL in 2016 as an analyst for nuclear command, control and communications. More recently, he served as the laboratory’s Air Force strategic systems program area manager, where he was involved in key military initiatives such as the Sentinel weapon system.

Before APL, Vercher was a missile and space officer for the U.S. Air Force. Throughout his 24 years of service, he had multiple leadership positions, including as commander of an intercontinental ballistic missile wing and deputy director of mission assessment and analysis for U.S. Strategic Command. 

“Rob possesses a rare combination of technical expertise, operational experience and strategic vision that positions him to excel in this critical role,” Lisa Blodgett, head of force projection sector at APL, stated. “With his exceptional leadership abilities, I am confident he will inspire and effectively lead high-performing teams, strengthening APL’s commitment to strategic deterrence and continuing to advance our mission to support the warfighter.”

1 … 164 165 166 167 168 … 2,720