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AETC Receives First T-7A Red Hawk to Advance Pilot Training Modernization
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T-7A Red Hawk. The Air Education and Training Command has received the first T-7A Red Hawk from Boeing.

The Air Education and Training Command officially received the T-7A Red Hawk from Boeing during an arrival ceremony held on Jan. 9.

AETC Receives First T-7A Red Hawk to Advance Pilot Training ModernizationThe U.S. Air Force and Space Force are exploring the use of advanced technologies in modernizing operations, including pilot training. Register now for the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Air and Space Summit on July 30 to gain insights from military and GovCon industry leaders.

The U.S. Air Force said Monday the delivery of the T-7A Red Hawk supports its broader pilot training modernization initiative. The ceremony was attended by Gen. Clark Quinn, AETC commander and Daniel Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Air Defense.

“The arrival of the T-7A is not the finish line. It marks the beginning of the work ahead to deliver training that produces ready, capable pilots for the future of the Air Force,” said Quinn.

What Is the T-7A Red Hawk?

The T-7A Red Hawk is the Air Force’s next-generation jet trainer, developed by Boeing and Saab to replace the decades-old T-38 Talon. Built with advanced digital engineering, modern avionics and an open-systems architecture, the aircraft is intended to adapt to evolving pilot training requirements and emerging technologies.

What Is Red Hawk’s Role in Pilot Training?

Lt. Gen. Scott Pleus, acting vice chief of staff of the Air Force, said the Red Hawk will enhance pilot training and better prepare airmen to fly fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft. The 12th Flying Training Wing’s 99th Flying Training Squadron is the first Air Force unit to receive the Red Hawk. It will be tasked with conducting early operational activities to refine training concepts for follow-on T-7A units.

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DHS Establishes Program Executive Office Focused on Drone, Counter-Drone Capabilities
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Kristi Noem. The DHS secretary said the new office will help secure the border and keep Americans safe.

The Department of Homeland Security has established a new office aimed at streamlining timelines for purchasing and deploying drone and counter-drone technologies.

DHS said Monday that the newly created Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems is intended to oversee investments in technologies designed to detect, track and mitigate hostile or illicit drone activity across U.S. airspace. 

The office has already begun operating and is in the final stages of completing a $115 million investment in counter-drone technologies. According to DHS, the initiative aligns with the Trump administration’s focus on restoring American airspace sovereignty and addressing the growing misuse of unmanned aircraft.

What Immediate Security Needs Does the New DHS Office Address?

“Drones represent the new frontier of American air superiority,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, a 2025 Wash100 Award recipient. “Under President Trump, we are entering a new era to defend our air superiority to protect our borders and the interior of the United States.” 

Speaking about the new office, Noem stated it will help “continue to secure the border and cripple the cartels, protect our infrastructure, and keep Americans safe as they attend festivities and events during a historic year of America’s 250th birthday and FIFA 2026.”

What Authorities Support DHS Counter-Drone Operations?

DHS noted that President Donald Trump signed legislation in 2018 granting DHS components authority to detect and mitigate drone threats. Since then, the department said it has performed more than 1,500 missions against illicit drone activity.

In December, DHS authorities were further expanded to allow all department components, as well as state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement partners and correctional agencies, to combat drone threats more broadly.

What Other DHS Drone Initiatives Are Underway?

In addition to launching the new program executive office, DHS highlighted several related initiatives.

The department recently requested proposals for a new $1.5 billion counter-drone contract vehicle intended to enable Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other components, to acquire technologies more quickly.

DHS also pointed to a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant program that awarded $250 million for counter-drone capabilities to states hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches and the National Capital Region.

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Pete Hegseth Introduces War Department Strategy to Accelerate AI Adoption
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War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth's office issued a memorandum establishing a new AI strategy for the Department of War

War Secretary Pete Hegseth, a 2025 Wash100 winner, has issued a new memorandum to establish a department-wide strategy to boost artificial intelligence adoption and experimentation.

How Will the Pentagon Accelerate AI Adoption in the Military?

The strategy aims to transform the Department of War into an AI-first warfighting force by identifying and eliminating bureaucratic barriers, expanding experimentations and investments in AI infrastructure, and shortening mission execution timelines, according to the memorandum published Friday.

“Speed defines victory in the AI era, and the War Department will match the velocity of America’s AI industry,” Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering, stated in a DOW press release. “We’re pulling in the best talent, the most cutting‑edge technology, and embedding the top frontier AI models into the workforce — all at a rapid wartime pace.”

Pete Hegseth Introduces War Department Strategy to Accelerate AI Adoption

Michael will deliver a keynote speech at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29. The highly anticipated summit will also host a panel discussion on AI deployment to support missions featuring Matthew Redding from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and Alex Fitzsimmons of the Department of Energy. Get your tickets today. 

The strategy is aligned with America’s AI Action Plan, which President Donald Trump introduced in July to outline various policy actions that would help the United States achieve global dominance in AI.

What Are the War Department’s AI Pace-Setting Projects?

The strategy also lays out seven Pace-Setting Projects, or PSPs, to set new execution standards for the department. Each PSP will have a single accountable leader and aggressive timelines and will explore enhanced integration of AI across warfighting, intelligence and enterprise.

The seven PSPs are:

  • Swarm Forge, a mechanism for iteratively identifying, testing and scaling ways to fight with or against AI-enabled capabilities.
  • Agent Network, which involves the deployment of AI agents for battle management and decision support.
  • Ender’s Foundry refers to AI-enabled simulation capabilities to stay ahead of adversaries.
  • Open Arsenal, which would speed up weapons development from intelligence.
  • Project Grant will turn deterrence from static postures to dynamic pressure
  • GenAI.mil, the Pentagon’s platform that provides department-wide access to AI models, including Google Gemini and xAI’s Grok.
  • Enterprise Agents, which would create a playbook for the rapid and secure development and deployment of AI agents to support enterprise workflows.
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Cameron Stanley Starts as DOW’s Chief Digital and AI Officer
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Cameron Stanley. The national security professional was named the Pentagon's new chief digital and AI officer.

Cameron Stanley, a 4×24 Leadership Program member, is the Department of War’s new chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, according to a DOW announcement.

What Does the DOW CDAO Do?

In this role, Stanley will direct the DOW’s use of data, analytics and AI. He was most recently at Amazon Web Services where he served as national security transformation lead.

“[Stanley] and his team at CDAO will define AI deployment velocity metrics for all the pace-setting projects in the next 30 days, and report at least monthly after that,” War Secretary and Wash100 awardee Pete Hegseth said on Jan. 12 during a speech to SpaceX employees in Starbase, Texas. “These will become the new benchmarks for programs across the department.”

Are you a GovCon technology executive? Then you can’t miss the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29—it’s curated specifically for you! Check out our Powering AI at Mission Scale: Energy, Compute, and Infrastructure for Defense Innovation panel discussion. Get actionable business intelligence to boost your revenues. Sign up today!

Who Is Cameron Stanley?

Stanley is a national security professional with extensive prior Pentagon experience. He served as chief data officer of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security office from 2022 to 2024. Stanley, here, supervised policy development and implementation for the defense intelligence and security enterprise.

He also served as chief of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team, also known as Project Maven, from 2021 to 2022. This was an AI and data pathfinder effort with a goal of creating improved warfighter results through the creation, deployment and sustainment of rapidly-fielded AI algorithms and data solutions.

Stanley previously served as the senior science and tech adviser for U.S. Southern Command and as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s liaison to the U.K. He is a graduate of the Air Force Academy.

What Is the Recent History of the DOW CDAO Role?

Stanley emerged as the top contender for the CDAO role in early January. He replaces Douglas Matty, who is now working on the Golden Dome homeland missile defense program.

The DOW in August moved the CDAO position under the purview of Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering, as part of an organizational restructuring. The goal was to consolidate the DOW’s AI strategy, development and implementation under R&E for faster delivery, tighter integration and better defined long-term goals, according to FedScoop.

Hegseth said a pursuit of the CDAO team will be advanced hardware and computing power to run AI systems. President Trump’s executive order, he said, directs the DOW to erect data centers on military property. It also instructs the Pentagon to work with the Department of Energy to make sure that it vastly increases the amount of breadth of resources to power this computing technology.

Cameron Stanley Starts as DOW’s Chief Digital and AI Officer
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Tim Kosiba Named NSA Deputy Director
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Tim Kosiba. The intelligence community veteran has been named NSA’s deputy director.

The National Security Agency has announced the appointment of Tim Kosiba, a more than 30-year intelligence community veteran, as the 21st deputy director.

NSA said Friday Kosiba will help U.S. defense and intelligence agencies formulate national security policies and position NSA as an integrated mission partner to help the U.S. maintain an advantage against foreign threats.

In this capacity, he will also lead strategy execution, manage the senior civilian leadership and guide operations.

What Are Lt. Gen. William Hartman’s Thoughts on Tim Kosiba’s Appointment?

Lt. Gen. William Hartman, who is performing the duties of NSA director and chief, Central Security Service, welcomed Kosiba back to the agency. He described Kosiba as a people-focused leader whose extensive experience over a 33-year federal career makes him well-suited for the deputy director position.

“I am confident that Tim will continue to drive and guide us in our critical foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity missions. His expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we advance our efforts to protect national security interests,” added Hartman, who is also acting commander of U.S. Cyber Command.

Who Is Tim Kosiba?

Kosiba started his career at NSA as technical director for the Joint Functional Component Command for Network Warfare. 

He has held roles of increasing responsibility at the agency, including technical director for the Requirements and Targeting Office within the Tailored Access Operations organization; deputy director of the NSA/CSS Commercial Solutions Center; chief of computer network operations; and deputy commander of NSA Georgia. He also played a key role in the implementation of NSA’s Cyber Security Policy.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Kosiba previously served as a board member of the National Cybersecurity Center, principal cyber adviser at Savannah River National Laboratory and member of Forgepoint Capital’s cybersecurity advisory council. In 2022, he was named CEO of Bracket F, the government arm of cloud security company Redacted.

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DLA Troop Support Groups Pitch AI, Digital Workforce Concepts in Modernization Push
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Christopher Mosher. The DLA Troop Support deputy commander commented on AI and digital workforce concepts.

Leaders at the Defense Logistics Agency’s Troop Support recently concluded a three-day course that provided groups an opportunity to present concepts aimed at modernizing military logistics through artificial intelligence and digital workforce platforms.

DLA Troop Support Groups Pitch AI, Digital Workforce Concepts in Modernization Push

DLA’s efforts to modernize logistics through AI, data-driven decision-making and workforce innovation mirror the themes of the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Digital Transformation Summit. Sign up now to hear experts on AI, cyber and enterprise IT on April 22 and be part of the conversation shaping government technology.

DLA said Thursday the “Creating Innovative Navigators Course” was part of DLA Troop Support’s annual operating plan and challenged participants to develop concrete, actionable platforms designed to address real-world challenges facing the agency.

What Concepts Were Presented at DLA Troop Support’s Innovation Course?

During the event, DLA Troop Support teams presented four concepts aimed at accelerating modernization. 

One proposal, Vendor Alert and Liability Oversight Resource, or VALOR, uses AI-enabled analytics to provide early warning of supplier risks. 

“Moving our mindset from diagnosis to prognosis is a game-changer. A tool like VALOR could be a decision-advantage engine that will keep us ahead of the problem,” said Christopher Mosher, deputy commander of DLA Troop Support. “By leveraging AI, we can achieve true decision advantage and proactively mitigate disruptions before they can impact the Warfighter.”

The Leveraging Innovation Networks and Knowledge, or LINK, initiative focuses on strengthening digital fluency across the workforce by helping employees better use existing data tools. Meanwhile, a group proposed the Digital Adoption Readiness Team, or DART, concept, which would embed digital and process-improvement experts within each of DLA Troop Support’s four supply chains to improve forecasting, inventory visibility and mission responsiveness. 

Rounding out the presentations was a proposal to establish a Troop Support Automated Process Council designed to empower employees to identify and digitize manual tasks.

“The synergy between these ideas is powerful. DART provides the top-down expertise, and the Council empowers innovation from the ground up,” Mosher said.

Mosher added that he plans to brief the concepts to the commanding general and emphasized that the ideas presented represent the beginning of the implementation process.

How DLA Advances Modernization to Support Warfighter Readiness?

DLA is ramping up its modernization efforts across both technology and logistics to better support global warfighter readiness. Central to this push is the Tech Accelerator Team, which aims to identify commercial technologies from non-traditional companies to address agency challenges. 

DLA has made strides in AI adoption. In March 2025, the agency announced that it had over 55 AI models in various phases of production, testing and operational use. Complementing these efforts is a strategic shift toward a “just enough” logistics model, which leverages AI-enabled predictive analytics, strengthened cybersecurity and interoperable systems to deliver capabilities in increasingly contested environments.

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SpaceX Secures FCC Authorization to Launch Additional Gen2 Starlink Satellites
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Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC. Carr comments about FCC's approval of SpaceX's 2nd-gen Starlink deployment

The Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX’s request to expand its constellation with the deployment and operation of second-generation Starlink satellites.

How Many Starlink Satellites Did the FCC Approve?

FCC said Friday that SpaceX plans to deploy an additional 7,500 satellites to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet services, including mobile connectivity, on a global scale.

The decision doubles the number of second-generation Starlink satellites SpaceX is allowed to launch from the 7,500 that the FCC approved in December 2022 to 15,000.

What Capabilities Will Gen2 Starlink Satellites Provide?

SpaceX is also cleared to upgrade its Gen2 Starlink satellites with advanced form factors and capabilities and operate across a wide range of frequency bands, including Ku, Ka, V, E and W bands to support fixed satellite service and mobile satellite service operations.

The agency also authorized the company to operate most of the satellites closer to Earth to further reduce latency.

“By authorizing 15,000 new and advanced satellites, the FCC has given SpaceX the green light to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, strengthen competition and help ensure that no community is left behind,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said.

In an emailed statement to PCMag, Tim Farrar, a satellite industry analyst, shared that the additional satellites will increase Starlink’s network capacity, especially in parts of the United States where demand is up to five times higher.

“It should allow for substantial growth in the US customer base, which is already likely closing in on 3 million subscribers,” Farrar explained. “And it will make it far less likely that Starlink encounters any congestion on the network from high levels of aircraft use near hubs, which was an area where Viasat claimed to have an advantage.”

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DOW Seeks Magnetic Navigation Platform Prototypes for GUASS Program
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Department of War logo. The Department of War is seeking prototype magnetic data-gathering platforms.

The Department of War is pursuing the development of prototype magnetic data-gathering platforms for the Geomagnetic Airborne Unmanned Survey System, or GAUSS, program.

What Is the GAUSS Program?

According to the Defense Innovation Unit, the GAUSS initiative is a long-term, phased effort designed to address warfighter needs for precision navigation capabilities as part of efforts to find alternatives to the Global Positioning System, or GPS, which has shown limitations in contested environments. The program aims to develop platforms capable of rapidly collecting high-quality magnetic map data over trans-oceanic distances, enabling operational magnetic navigation.

What Capabilities Are Expected From Vendors?

The program seeks data collection platforms that can integrate commercial or government off-the-shelf magnetometers with minimal interference, operate cost-effectively across diverse over-water domains and scale rapidly to support large-area magnetic surveys while enabling sensor installation in magnetically clean locations.

The prototypes will be validated through flight testing to assess navigational performance, magnetic collection accuracy, platform magnetic noise, data processing methods and creation of cost projections for future collections.

What Is Magnetic Navigation?

Magnetic navigation is a GPS-independent navigation method that uses pre-measured reference data of the Earth’s crustal magnetic field, collected locally with high accuracy, to enable reliable navigation over ocean environments. MagNav systems utilize magnetometers, highly sensitive magnets designed to detect changes in the magnetic field created by magnetic rocks in the outer crust, reported Breaking Defense.

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War Department’s OIG Raises Concerns Over Pentagon’s Quantum Technology Management
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Emil Michael. The USD(R&E) leads tech efforts at DOW. DOW's inspector general raised concerns related to quantum requirements

The Department of War’s Office of Inspector General has published a management advisory that identifies concerns with the Pentagon’s development and implementation of quantum technologies.

What Quantum Concerns Did the OIG Raise in Its New Report?

One of the concerns identified in the 10-page document, which was issued Wednesday, is related to the implementation of section 234 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019. The section directed the war secretary, through the under secretary of war for research and engineering, or USD (R&E), to oversee the planning, management and coordination of quantum information science and technology research and development programs.

War Department's OIG Raises Concerns Over Pentagon’s Quantum Technology Management

The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29 will have a panel on advancing U.S. leadership in quantum computing featuring Fredrik Fatemi from the Army Research Laboratory and industry representatives. Top Department of War officials, including the USD (R&E) himself, Emil Michael, will also be present at the event to deliver insights through keynote speeches and panel discussions and to network. Click here to get your tickets.

The document also mentions section 214 of the FY 2021 NDAA, which tasked military department secretaries to maintain an updated list of technical and research problems that quantum computers may be able to address.

The OIG warned that failure to implement the congressional mandates may prevent the DOW from enhancing its quantum computing capabilities and may cause the United States to fall behind adversaries in quantum innovation.

In response to the report, the acting deputy USD (R&E) committed to collaborating with military department secretaries to address the aforementioned concerns.

What Are DOW’s Top Technology Priorities?

USD (R&E) Emil Michael previously identified quantum and battlefield information dominance as one of the six critical technology areas, or CTAs, to advance American warfighter capabilities.

According to the official, warfighters require tools that can preserve communication and deliver precise navigation and timing in degraded or denied environments.

The CTAs also include artificial intelligence, biomanufacturing, hypersonics, directed energy and contested logistics technologies.

“These six Critical Technology Areas are not just priorities; they are imperatives,” Michael stated. “The American warfighter will wield the most advanced technology to maximize lethality.” 

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NASA’s Pandora Satellite Launches Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
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SpaceX Falcon Rocket. NASA has launched its Pandora Satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission.

NASA launched its Pandora small satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Jan. 11 as part of the Twilight commercial rideshare mission.

What Is NASA’s Pandora Small Satellite?

The agency said the Pandora satellite is a spacecraft designed to study the atmospheres of distant exoplanets while monitoring the behavior of their host stars. It will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit, enabling it to observe targets under consistent lighting conditions by passing over the same point on Earth at nearly the same local time each day. By examining at least 20 exoplanet systems, Pandora will help researchers distinguish atmospheric chemical signals from effects caused by stellar activity, enhancing the accuracy of exoplanet observations.

How Will Pandora Perform Its Mission?

According to Elisa Quintana, principal investigator for Pandora at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the mission aims to “disentangle the atmospheric signals of planets and stars using visible and near-infrared light.”

Using its onboard telescope, the spacecraft will gather visible and infrared light from each target system during extended observation campaigns. It will observe each system up to 10 times, with each session lasting up to 24 hours. These prolonged, multi-wavelength observations will allow scientists to separate planetary signals from stellar activity and identify the sources of elements and molecules such as water and oxygen.

Data collected by Pandora will help scientists identify the origins of elements and compounds, supporting efforts to determine signs of life. Furthermore, it is also expected to enhance NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s ability to study exoplanet atmospheres.

BlackCAT & SPARCS CubeSat Missions

The launch also carried dozens of additional satellites, including two NASA-sponsored CubeSats. The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS, will monitor ultraviolet emissions from low-mass stars to evaluate the effects of stellar activity on nearby planets. The Black Hole Coded Aperture Telescope, or BlackCAT, will study gamma-ray bursts and other transient cosmic events using advanced X-ray detection technology.

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