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NASA Issues RFI for Fission Surface Power System
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Request for Information. NASA is soliciting space industry feedback for a fission surface power system.

NASA has issued a request for information for a fission power system that will potentially be utilized for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.

Fission Surface Power System for Future Space Missions

The agency said Thursday it is seeking feedback from the space industry regarding a fission surface power system capable of generating at least 100 kilowatts of electricity and weighing less than 15 metric tons. The system will also utilize a closed Brayton cycle power conversion system to convert heat to electricity.

NASA aims to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s. The technology will be used for exploring the moon and eventually Mars and will also be leveraged for national security. Aside from providing continuous power, the nuclear reactor can be deployed in areas on the Moon that are not reached by sunlight or during prolonged lunar nights.

Interested vendors can submit their responses to the RFI by Aug. 21.

Remarks From Fission Surface Power Program Executive

Steve Sinacore, Fission Surface Power program executive, said, “Today’s call for industry input is an important step toward engaging the commercial space industry in powering the lunar economy and enabling future human exploration on Mars. Developing a safe, reliable and efficient power supply is key to unlocking the future of human space exploration and ensuring America retains its dominance in space.”

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DIU Launches 2025 Blue Object Management Challenge
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DIU logo. The DIU launched the 2025 Blue Object Management Challenge.

The Defense Innovation Unit, in collaboration with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, has launched the 2025 Blue Object Management Challenge, an initiative aimed at enhancing the Department of Defense’s approach to collecting, conditioning and integrating multimodal data into a unified operational framework that supports modeling, simulation and operations.

Blue Object Management Challenge Objectives

The program, open to U.S.-owned non-traditional defense contractors and small businesses, aims to fast-track the advancement of artificial intelligence-powered decision-making capabilities to enhance data access and integration across the DOD. This is intended to address the challenges of relying on manual processes and unconnected systems, including inaccuracies, slow performance and a lack of system interoperability.

Furthermore, the program aims to award companies building dynamic data integration platforms, smart databases and sensing technologies that generate AI-driven insights for real-time tracking and coordination of blue objects, or friendly assets like U.S. military personnel, equipment and infrastructure.

The Blue Object Management Challenge directly addresses USINDOPACOM Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo‘s call for enhanced interoperability, sustainment capabilities and integration of AI in modern warfare.

Program Details

Up to ten companies will be selected to participate in the 12-week accelerator program, during which they can directly engage with DOD mission partners and work with the accelerator team on their projects. Participants will receive a portion of the $500,000 prize pool. Interested companies have until Sept. 5 to submit their responses.

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Final SHIELD Proposal Request for Golden Dome Is Coming Soon
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Golden Dome. The missile defense initiative has a new contracting vehicle from the MDA.

When government and industry leaders gathered at the 2025 Space and Missile Defense Symposium last week, the Department of Defense placed a moratorium on officials speaking in public sessions about Golden Dome, President Trump’s Iron Dome-inspired missile protection and alert initiative. However, news from private sessions between military leaders at the Missile Defense Agency and the industrial base have become known, with help from reporting by Breaking Defense.

The most significant of this information is about the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense, a.k.a. SHIELD, contracting vehicle, which MDA released a pre-solicitation paper for at the very end of July. SHIELD is estimated to value at least $151 billion over 10 years and an official timeframe was issued at SMD for when to expect a request for proposal.

In the absence of Pentagon-led public discussions of Golden Dome, we must turn to industry voices on the matter: top leaders from the biggest competitors in GovCon will assemble for the “Supporting the Shield: Navy’s Role in the Golden Dome Architecture” panel at the 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26. Register now for Potomac Officers Club’s final event of its Summer DOD Series!

What Are the Golden Dome Contracts?

SHIELD

So far, there are two Golden Dome-related contracting vehicles. SHIELD is the more recent of the two and is said to be extremely “versatile” and wide-ranging in its scope. It will theoretically allow DOD components to quickly issue task orders and contracts as needed under its umbrella.

Prototyping, cybersecurity, systems engineering, weapon design and data mining were all provided as possible SHIELD activities in the slides that were privately shown to industry.

MAA

The first-announced Golden Dome contract vehicle from MDA is entitled the Multiple Authority Announcement, which surfaced in late March. The MAA encompasses potential contracts for kinetic and hypersonic defense, command and control, space-based sensors and interceptors, and more, and Breaking Defense said a slide at SMD billed it as an acquisition mechanism for “disruptive technologies & rapid capability development from non-traditional sources.”

Up to this point, MDA has actively sought proposals under MAA for advanced capability concepts, and electromagnetic protection and threat object discrimination.

While both pertaining to Golden Dome, DOD spokespeople made it clear that SHIELD and MAA are two “distinct opportunities.”

What Is the Timeline for SHIELD?

Responses to the July 31-issued presolicitation notice for SHIELD are due in five days — on Aug. 19.

A final RFP for the project will be released before Oct. 1, the DOD told industry at the event.

Before that RFP is announced, it’s important to convene with your industrial base colleagues about how to prepare your business for this incredibly lucrative opportunity. Join the Golden Dome GovCon conversation at the 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26.

Final SHIELD Proposal Request for Golden Dome Is Coming Soon
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Executive Order Seeks to Promote Competitive Space Industry
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The White House. The EO seeks to eliminate overly restrictive rules for space launch and reentry vehicles.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to help streamline regulations and promote competition in the commercial space industry.

Streamlining Launch Licenses

The White House said Wednesday the EO will help streamline commercial license and permit approvals for U.S.-based operators by directing the secretary of Transportation to accelerate environmental reviews for launch and reentry licenses and permits.

The policy also directs the secretary of Transportation to evaluate regulatory requirements to eliminate redundant, outdated or overly restrictive rules for launch and reentry vehicles.

The order mandates the creation of a position within the Department of Transportation to advise on promoting innovation and deregulation in the commercial space industry. The policy also directs the appointment of an associate administrator for commercial space transportation within the Federal Aviation Administration to advance regulatory reform.

“By slashing red tape tying up spaceport construction, streamlining launch licenses so they can occur at scale, and creating high-level space positions in government, we can unleash the next wave of innovation. At NASA, this means continuing to work with commercial space companies and improving our spaceports’ ability to launch,” Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator, said in a statement.

“Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, we will enable American space competitiveness and superiority for decades to come. I look forward to leveraging my dual role at DOT and NASA to make this dream a reality,” added Duffy, who also serves as transportation secretary.

Advancing Spaceport Development

The new policy directs the secretaries of Defense and Transportation and the NASA administrator to align their review processes to eliminate duplicative regulations and speed up spaceport development.

Under the EO, the secretary of Commerce should work with the secretaries of Defense and Transportation and the head of NASA to assess states’ compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act and whether states are hindering spaceport infrastructure development under CZMA.

The order also promotes in-space manufacturing, orbital refueling and other space activities through a streamlined framework.

“The FAA strongly supports President Trump’s Executive Order to make sure the U.S. leads the growing space economy and continues to lead the world in space transportation and innovation,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “This order safely removes regulatory barriers so that U.S. companies can dominate commercial space activities.”

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Jules Hurst III Appointed Acting Defense Comptroller, Chief Financial Officer
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Jules Hurst. The DOD has named Hurst as its acting comptroller and chief financial officer.

Jules Hurst III has been appointed to perform the duties of the Defense Department’s under secretary (comptroller) and chief financial officer. The OUSD (C) announced Wednesday that he assumed the acting-capacity role on Aug. 11. 

Who Is Jules Hurst III?

Before his appointment, Hurst was performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. He also performed the duties of under secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness and held various leadership roles under the same office. He also became the defense adviser and legislative director at the Office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hurst previously served in the Army for half a decade as a legislative liaison, Army congressional fellow and executive officer. He was also the project manager of Project Maven, which involves artificial intelligence and machine learning. Prior to that, he was the executive officer for technology and analytic innovation unit of the Joint Special Operations Command. Under the Army’s Central Command, he served as a targeting officer and began his career as an intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

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Congress Eyes ‘Negative-Only’ Evaluation System for DOD Contractor Performance
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Capitol Hill building. Congress seeks to create a DOD contractor evaluation system focused on negative performance events.

The House and Senate versions of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill seek to replace subjective contractor evaluations in the Department of Defense’s Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, or CPARS, with a “negative-only” system, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., introduced an amendment to the House Armed Services Committee’s FY 2026 defense bill that would direct DOD contracting officers to “only include negative performance events that have a material impact on contract performance or government interests in CPARS” as part of a push to reduce inconsistency and address subjectivity in contractor assessments.

Contracting Officers to Document Negative Performance Events

According to FNN, contracting officials would categorize each negative event into one of five categories, including failures in innovation, technical development or prototype delivery; failures in software, hardware, cybersecurity or IT systems; and failures in maintenance, logistics or support services.

The amendment to the defense legislation would require contracting officers to document late deliveries, cybersecurity breaches, failure to meet contract requirements, violations of environmental or safety regulations and other negative performance events within 30 days of verifying them.

Standardized Scoring System for Negative Performance Events

The measure would require the Pentagon to establish “a standardized scoring mechanism to normalize negative performance events of a contractor” based on the total value of contracts and the number of transactions such vendors have had.

Under the scoring mechanism, vendors will have the capability to view their scores and underlying data in CPARS and challenge the reported negative events.

The amendment would direct DOD to train contracting officials to identify, report and verify negative performance events and correctly encode data into CPARS for use in generating vendors’ scores.

The Senate version of the defense measure also aims to replace subjective contractor assessments in CPARS with “objective criteria for negative performance events.”

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OSTP Principal Deputy Director Lynne Parker Announces Retirement
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OSTP Deputy Director Lynne Parker. Lynne Parker is stepping down as OSTP principal deputy director.

Lynne Parker will step down as principal deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, or OSTP. Parker announced her retirement on LinkedIn Tuesday.

“My part of the mission is complete — the torch is now in capable hands. Serving our country in this role has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Parker.

Parker returned to the role in January to assist the OSTP with transitioning to the new administration. During her second stint under OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, Parker attested to progress in driving artificial innovation and education, fast-tracking drone and hypersonics innovation, enhancing America’s nuclear policy and forging strategic partnerships.

Lynne Parker’s Career Highlights

Parker served at the office for over four years before her eight-month stint as the OSTP principal deputy director. She held various leadership positions, including founding director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office, deputy chief technology officer and assistant director for artificial intelligence.

Parker spent two years at the National Science Foundation as the director of information and intelligent systems and was also part of the executive team of the Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering Directorate.

The official worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 11 years across two separate stints. In between those, she was briefly part of the research staff at HRL Laboratories.

Parker has been part of the academy for over 23 years. She is currently the associate vice chancellor emerita at the University of Tennessee. She was also the associate dean of engineering.

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GSA Partners With Box to Offer Discounts on AI Transformation Tools
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GSA logo. GSA and Box have partnered to offer federal agencies discounts on AI tools.

The U.S. General Services Administration has partnered with Box, an intelligent content management platform, to offer federal agencies significant discounts on artificial intelligence tools.

Through the collaboration, agencies will have 12 months to avail of up to 75 percent and 65 percent discounts on Box’s Enterprise Plus for Government software and Enterprise Advanced for Government software, respectively, GSA said Wednesday.

Enhancing Workflows With Advanced AI Platforms

The agreement, which aligns with efforts to advance the federal government’s AI Action Plan, makes Box AI available to agencies. This enables them to enhance productivity and streamline workflows in key areas such as contracting, research, mission support, disaster response and veteran healthcare. The FedRAMP High and DOD IL4-compliant platform also supports content management features, including e-signature, forms, document generation and collaboration. The partnership supports GSA’s OneGov strategy by combining tools into one software-as-a-service tool for content sharing, document workflows, digital signatures and records management.

Josh Gruenbaum on the GSA-Box Partnership

“We value our partnership with Box and their commitment to the administration’s goal of providing federal agencies with transformative, cost-effective AI tools,” said Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum.

“This strategic collaboration empowers the federal government to accelerate implementation of President Trump’s AI Action Plan and reinforce American AI leadership on the global stage,” added the 2025 Wash100 Award winner.

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US, Allies Release Joint OT Asset Inventory Guidance
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Cybersecurity. The U.S. and its allies released a joint operational technology asset inventory guidance.

The United States and its allies have published a joint guidance to help operational technology owners and operators safeguard critical infrastructure.

Joint Effort to Strengthen Critical Infrastructure Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in collaboration with the National Security Agency, the FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency and cybersecurity authorities from Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand, published the guidance, titled “Foundations for OT Cybersecurity: Asset Inventory Guidance for Owners and Operators.”US, Allies Release Joint OT Asset Inventory Guidance

Intelligence-gathering and analysis are critical to protecting national security amid increasing threats, technological advancements and geopolitical shifts. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Intel Summit will bring together the intelligence community’s top leaders to provide their insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the IC. Register now and take the opportunity to gain insights into the future of intelligence.

The cybersecurity technical report provides a structured approach for creating and maintaining OT asset inventories and taxonomies. OT systems support essential functions like process automation, industrial control systems and cyber-physical operations that support energy grids, water systems, manufacturing and transportation networks.

Building OT System Visibility and Resilience

The guidance emphasizes that comprehensive asset inventories are critical for identifying and securing key systems and reducing the risk of cybersecurity incidents.

“OT systems are essential to the daily lives of all Americans and to national security,” said Madhu Gottumukkala, acting CISA director. “As cyber threats continue to evolve, CISA through this guidance provides deeper visibility into OT assets as a critical first step in reducing risk and ensuring operational resilience.”

NSA officials, meanwhile, stressed the importance of the guidance in defending national security systems, Department of Defense networks and the defense industrial base from malicious cyber activity.

Organizations are encouraged to review the document, which aligns with the Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals, and adopt the best practices outlined to ensure safety, resilience and mission continuity across operational environments. 

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ICE Law Enforcement Recruitment Drive Reaches Over 100,000 Applications
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem is encouraging Americans to join ICE

The Department of Homeland Security has received over 100,000 applications from Americans who want to become Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The government recently removed the age limits for applicants and is offering incentives, including a maximum of $50,000 signing bonus.

“Our country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, a 2025 Wash100 Award winner. “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”

ICE Law Enforcement Recruitment Drive Reaches Over 100,000 Applications

Leaders and experts from across government and industry will discuss the latest U.S. homeland security programs and initiatives at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 12. Register for the in-person event here.

ICE Recruiting New Agents

The administration of President Donald Trump launched an effort at the end of July to recruit 10,000 additional ICE agents. Aside from a signing bonus, the government is also offering successful applicants student loan repayment and forgiveness options, enhanced retirement benefits and 25 percent Law Enforcement Availability Pay, or LEAP, for homeland security investigations special agents.

All ICE law enforcement recruits will be required to undergo medical and drug screening and pass a physical fitness test.

The agency’s recruitment effort is funded by Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which the president signed into law in July.

“Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, we now have funding to recruit and hire Americans who want to patriotically serve their country and protect American communities,” commented Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE.

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