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Pentagon Eyes Industry Collaboration to Accelerate Golden Dome’s Space-Based Interceptor Development
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Satellite constellation. The DOD is in talks with various companies about potential involvement in Golden Dome.

The Department of Defense is accelerating its efforts to develop space-based interceptors as part of the Golden Dome initiative, Breaking Defense reported, noting that the Pentagon is seeking to engage the private sector in creating the $175 billion missile defense shield.Pentagon Eyes Industry Collaboration to Accelerate Golden Dome's Space-Based Interceptor Development

Air and space defense is a critical component of national security. With the increasing sophistication of threats, the need for advanced defense capabilities in the air and space domains has never been more urgent. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Defense Summit will provide invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry, including an all-industry panel about Golden Dome. Register here for the exciting GovCon conference!

SBIs are seen as a critical Golden Dome capability capable of neutralizing missiles during their boost phase. Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, acting head of space acquisition for the Department of the Air Force, revealed that the Pentagon is looking at innovative acquisition methods, including the use of non-traditional contracting vehicles and launching prize contests to take advantage of commercial technologies to speed up development.

Cooperating With Industry to Build Golden Dome

Amazon’s Project Kuiper has already been engaged for potential involvement in the defense shield’s data relay services as the DOD explores options to move away from SpaceX due to the ongoing tensions between President Donald Trump and the company’s founder Elon Musk. Other private companies, including Stoke Space and Rocket Lab, have been approached to contribute their expertise to the project, particularly in satellite launch capabilities.

Defense companies, including Northrop Grumman and RTX, have expressed interest in supporting the Golden Dome. Northrop Grumman is already developing space-based interceptors, while RTX, known for its Patriot missile defense systems, anticipates playing a major role in Golden Dome’s architecture.

The Pentagon’s strategy to involve multiple partners aims to reduce reliance on a single contractor.

Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Pentagon’s newly appointed Golden Dome czar, emphasized that the SBI development is one of the challenges the initiative faces. Speaking at a Space Foundation event, he noted that while the technology to intercept missiles from space is proven, the capability to build sufficient satellites at scale and expand the industrial base quickly enough to meet the program’s requirements remains uncertain.

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NASA Deploys TRACERS Mission to Study Earth’s Magnetic Shield
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NASA's TRACERS mission launch. NASA launched the TRACERS mission to study the Earth's magnetic field.

NASA deployed the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Studying the Magnetic Shield

The agency said Wednesday the primary objective of the TRACERS mission is to investigate the Earth’s magnetic shield and how it protects Earth from space weather. In particular, the mission will study magnetic reconnection — the energy generated from the collision between the sun and Earth’s magnetic fields — and how it influences the impacts of the sun and space weather on Earth.

“The TRACERS satellites will move us forward in decoding space weather and further our understanding of the connection between Earth and the Sun. This mission will yield breakthroughs that will advance our pursuit of the Moon and subsequently, Mars,” said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator.”

During the mission, the twin spacecraft will fly just 10 seconds apart over the polar cusp, an open region in Earth’s magnetic field near the North Pole. They will gather 3,000 measurements in one year to create a map of magnetic reconnection’s evolution and behavior.

Communication with the second TRACERS satellite was established three hours after being deployed from Falcon 9. For the next four weeks, mission controllers will check out all instruments and systems while the spacecraft goes through a commissioning phase. After this, the satellites will start a year-long mission to study magnetic reconnection.

Companion Payloads

NASA’s Athena Economical Payload Integration Cost, Polylingual Experimental Terminal and Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss missions will accompany the primary mission. These three small satellites will showcase new technologies and collect scientific data.

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Golden Dome: The 5 Hottest Questions GovCons Are Asking
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Image of a SM-3 Block 1B interceptor launching. ExecutiveGov anwers the five hottest questions about Golden Dome.

Golden Dome, President Trump’s proposed homeland missile defense system, is the hottest topic of conversation among GovCons. Contracting professionals are asking how they can best position their companies for contracts from this three-year, $175 billion effort that received a $25 billion downpayment in the president’s reconciliation legislation.

The news is getting even better—DOD is expanding Golden Dome partnership opportunities beyond simply SpaceX, according to Reuters. While SpaceX figures to remain a central contractor in Golden Dome, DOD leadership is open to other companies such as commercial tech firms, research labs and international partners, and not just traditional defense companies.

DOD looks to be embracing regular competition for Golden Dome. This would allow companies who miss out on contracts in earlier competitions to remain in contention as development progresses.

DOD is clamping down on government officials speaking publicly about Golden Dome. This makes the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26 the premier GovCon event for contractors looking to find out more about partnership opportunities with this highly-anticipated weapon system! Learn more about the Navy’s role in Golden Dome during our lunchtime industry panel. Discover which technologies the department will first prioritize for competition. Secure your seat today and prepare your GovCon firm for Golden Dome success in FY 2026!

So what are the 5 hottest questions GovCons are asking about Golden Dome? Let’s dig in.

Who Makes Golden Dome?

No one, yet. DOD has yet to issue formal business opportunities for Golden Dome. SpaceX is considered the front runner because of its advanced and cheap launch capabilities, but other launch developers such as Rocket Lab and Stoke Space will be in the running for individual launches as the program matures.

A big hurdle preventing DOD from issuing solicitations for Golden Dome is that it hasn’t developed a program blueprint. The department said on July 22 that it plans to publicize an objective architecture for the system in 60 days.

News is starting to trickle out on which technologies or capabilities companies will offer. Lockheed Martin is interested in offering a space-based interceptor, according to Breaking Defense. The space-based interceptor concept consists of thousands of tiny satellites orbiting earth that are really small rockets about three feet in length.

They would target an enemy’s ballistic missile headed toward the U.S. and would engage it at the edge of space, just above earth’s atmosphere. The space-based interceptor idea was called “Brilliant Pebbles” under former President George H.W. Bush in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Other newer defense firms such as Anduril and Palantir are reportedly in the running for Golden Dome contracts. Traditional defense contractors Raytheon and L3Harris could also benefit, according to Morningstar.

Golden Dome: The 5 Hottest Questions GovCons Are Asking
A Ground-Based Interceptor launches in 2023. This technology could be used
in DOD’s Golden Dome missile defense system. Photo: Missile Defense Agency.

Will Golden Dome Cover California?

Yes. Golden Dome is to provide comprehensive protection to the U.S. homeland, according to the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace think tank. Trump’s executive order issued earlier this year also suggests that Golden Dome could extend to protect forward-deployed troops and U.S. allies in Europe and Asia.

Canada could also be part of Golden Dome, CBC has reported. While it is unclear which technologies Canada would contribute, how much it would pay or its potential responsibilities, the Canadian government has confirmed it is in discussions with the U.S. as part of overarching national security and trade talks between the neighbors.

Can Golden Dome Work?

Experts are more optimistic about Golden Dome’s space-based interceptor technology working better in 2025 than it did when first proposed by former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Missile defense technology has greatly evolved since the ’80s and DOD has a range of air and missile defense systems deployed with many next-generation programs in development, according to the American Enterprise Institute think tank. These are likely to be where the department starts with Golden Dome.

The system’s command and control and sensing technologies will be complex, but realistic, AEI says. Advances in commercial technology have made satellites cheaper, smaller and more capable than ever. The Space Force is also in the early stages of using commercial space technology in its own next-generation satellite constellations.

The most technically challenging portion of Golden Dome—intercepting missiles in flight, or hitting a bullet with a bullet, is more feasible than ever. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, system is now operational with 44 missiles fielded in total between California and Alaska. Other missile defense interceptors, such as Patriot; Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, and Standard Missile-3s may also play a role in Golden Dome.

Space-based interceptor technology is much more mature than it was 40 years ago. The missile homing and tracking capability developed as part of GMD fits well in a space-based interceptor.

How Would Golden Dome Work?

While the details are still being determined, Golden Dome’s overarching strategy is creating a network of satellites that could number in the hundreds to detect, track and possibly intercept incoming missiles. The program is modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome, an all-weather system that deploys guided missiles to intercept rockets and other short-range munitions.

Golden Dome would be much more expansive than Iron Dome and would include an extensive array of surveillance spacecraft and a separate fleet of offensive-postured satellites that would shoot down incoming missiles.

When Will Golden Dome Be Awarded?

It’s unclear when DOD will start awarding Golden Dome contacts, but it’s a safe assumption to expect contract awards to begin sooner, rather than later. The program is arguably President Trump’s top military initiative and $25 billion has already been appropriated for the program.

The program has received support from powerful lawmakers. Sens. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Dan Sullivan of Alaska in February introduced a bill called the Golden Dome Act proposing nearly $20 billion for Golden Dome in FY 2026.

Learn more about Golden Dome acquisition strategy and contract award timelines at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26! Be the first to learn about subcontracting opportunities. Hear more about new Golden Dome requirements involving the Navy during our lunchtime panel. Strike up collaborations with other GovCon titans to reach for that big contract. Register here to land new GovCon business!

Golden Dome: The 5 Hottest Questions GovCons Are Asking

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Bradley Hansell Confirmed as DOD Under Secretary for Intelligence & Security
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Bradley Hansell was confirmed by the Senate for the position of under secretary of defense for intelligence and security.

The Senate on Tuesday voted 61-35 to confirm Bradley Hansell, a national security expert, to be the next under secretary of defense for intelligence and security, or USD I&S.

Hansell replaces Dustin Gard-Weiss, who has been acting under secretary for intelligence and security at the Department of Defense since January.

Improving Irregular Warfare, Offensive Cyber Capabilities

In his opening statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee in April, Hansell highlighted the need for effective management of the defense intelligence and security enterprise. He said the enterprise should have the right technology and organizational structure in place to help personnel boost their impact in today’s operational environment.

“Enhancing our Irregular Warfare capabilities will allow us to provide risk-informed options to better compete short of armed conflict and re-establish deterrence. I believe offensive cyber capabilities and an increased focus on Defense HUMINT are areas for opportunity,” he told the Senate panel.

“Finally, offensive counterintelligence efforts are essential in imposing a cost on our adversaries,” he added.

Who Is Bradley Hansell?

Hansell most recently served as an operating partner at Windage Partners, a private equity firm in the aerospace, defense and government services market.

Before Windage, he was a venture partner at investment firm Outlander VC.

He previously served as an associate director and principal at Boston Consulting Group, where he helped lead the aerospace and defense and public sector practices.

During his time at BCG, Hansell was nominated in 2020 to be deputy under secretary for intelligence and secretary at DOD. He stayed at BCG after the full Senate failed to hold a floor vote on his nomination before the presidential election.

The retired U.S. Army special forces officer was a National Security Council senior director at the White House focused on addressing transnational threats.

He started his career in the U.S. Navy as a warfare surface officer in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East maritime theaters.

The Villanova University graduate earned his MBA degree from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he was a Pat Tillman military scholar.

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GSA’s Josh Gruenbaum: DOGE-Inspired Approach to Government Contracts to Persist
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GSA's Josh Gruenbaum. Gruenbaum has led a months-long review of government contracts with software firms and consultancies.

Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service and a 2025 Wash100 awardee, said his team’s Department of Government Efficiency-inspired cost-cutting approach to government contracts with software providers and consulting firms will continue for the duration of the Trump administration, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.

Gruenbaum told FT in an interview on Friday that FAS continues to review multibillion-dollar contracts against cheaper alternatives.

“We have shrewd business folks around us, we do run market comparisons,” the head of FAS said. “We have typically other vendors who are like, ‘we could create proper market tension.'”

GSA’s Josh Gruenbaum: DOGE-Inspired Approach to Government Contracts to Persist

Listen to experts as they discuss contracting opportunities with the Navy, the latest tech advancements and more at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26. Save your spot now!

GSA Procurement Review

Gruenbaum has been leading a review of multibillion-dollar government contracts with software firms and consultancies for months and has urged such companies to offer the government steep discounts on the services they provide.

According to GSA, the procurement review has led to more than $52 billion in savings, with consulting contracts accounting for about $12 billion of that savings.

The former investment banker defended the approach of FAS.

“We are tough, but fair, and we take our jobs safeguarding American taxpayer money extremely seriously — we make no apologies for that. We stand by our record of success,” Gruenbaum said in a statement on Tuesday.

GSA Asks Consultancies to Explain Contracts in Plain Language

In June, Gruenbaum called on the leaders of McKinsey, BCG and four other consulting firms to justify and explain their federal contracts in plain language and recommend ways to save costs.

“Our objective is to critically evaluate which engagements deliver genuine value,” Gruenbaum wrote in a letter sent to firms in late June. “In keeping with this Administration’s laser focus on fiscal responsibility, our baseline presumption is that most, if not all, of these contracted services are not core to agency missions.”

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Senate OKs Aaron Lukas as ODNI Principal Deputy Director
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Aaron Lukas. Lukas has been approved as ODNI principal deputy director

The Senate voted 51–46 Tuesday to confirm President Donald Trump’s nomination of Aaron Lukas as principal deputy director at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Tulsi Gabbard, ODNI’s head, welcomed the confirmation and expressed confidence on the skills that Lukas brings to the office’s leadership team. She noted that his experience covers nearly all aspects of intelligence work. “Aaron understands firsthand the work of intelligence collectors and analysts because he has done it himself,” Gabbard said.

Senate OKs Aaron Lukas as ODNI Principal Deputy Director

Gain more insights on developments within the intelligence community at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Intel Summit, where top IC leaders—including Aaron Lukas!—will discuss the opportunities and challenges facing them today and into the future. Register here to attend the Oct. 2 event.

Aaron Lukas’ Global IC Track Record

Lukas’ experience includes over 20 years of service as an analyst and officer in clandestine CIA operations worldwide. He was the ODNI chief of staff during the first Trump administration and had also previously served at the National Security Council as deputy senior director for Europe and Russia.

Before his IC career, Lukas had a two-year stint in Washington, D.C., as chief speech writer and strategic adviser at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, according to his LinkedIn profile. In addition, he worked for six years as a policy analyst at Cato Institute, a nonpartisan public policy research organization.

Lukas holds a master of arts degree in international relations and affairs from the George Washington University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science and economics from Texas A&M University.

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Air Force Launches Tactical Operations Center-Light Major Release 2 Upgrade
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U.S. Air Force Logo. The TOC-L MR2 upgrade has been rolled out by the Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force has launched the Tactical Operations Center-Light Major Release 2, or MR2,  which is an upgraded version of its mobile command center. The upgrade is part of an effort to connect people, systems and data across the military, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced Tuesday. 

Air Force Launches Tactical Operations Center-Light Major Release 2 Upgrade

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31 to hear from top experts about the challenges and opportunities in the air and space defense industries.

What Is TOC-L? 

The Tactical Operations Center-Light, or the TOC-L, is a portable battlefield command system that collects information from various sources to provide a picture of the situation in the air. The USAF’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management, or PEO C3BM, which is in charge of Advanced Battle Management System, or ABMS, that supports integrated command and control across military operations, oversees the TOC-L. 

Major Release 2 Upgrade Details 

The MR2 prototype includes over 40 next-generation TOC-L systems and will function as an action hub of the Air Force’s Battle Network, using the ABMS DI to connect with different sensors and C2 systems. Compared to MR1, which is the earlier version of the TOC-L, which focuses more on mobility and compactness, MR2 also prioritizes integration with other technologies. The move from focusing on mobility to improving system integration was based on data gathered from the MR1 prototype’s first real-world use with the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, earlier tests and the system’s recent involvement in the Army’s Project Convergence Capstone 5. The CBC2 feature of the MR2 also uses artificial intelligence and advanced software, seeking to help the military with coordination and speeding up decisions.

Air Force’s Luke Cropsey, Micah Graber Share Thoughts

Commenting on the upgrade, Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey, the executive officer for the PEO C3BM and a Wash100 Award recipient, said, “This achievement truly embodies our agile acquisition approach, setting the stage for a phased deployment where we can rapidly field operationally relevant upgrades based on feedback from the field.”

Lt. Col. Micah Graber, the materiel leader of the ABMS Deployable Systems Branch, said that the MR2 prototype seeks to “enhance portability, survivability, mobility, and ease of use through reduced size, weight, power, while featuring improved usability and maintainability to reduce training time and improve operational readiness.”

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ORNL, Atomic Canyon Partner to Accelerate Nuclear Power Plant Licensing
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Nuclear power plant. ORNL and Atomic Canyon have partnered to streamline the nuclear power plant licensing process.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Atomic Canyon, an artificial intelligence company, have partnered to enhance the nuclear power plant licensing process.

Advancing Licensing Process With Artificial Intelligence

The ORNL said the two organizations, which signed a memorandum of understanding during the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop held at the Knoxville Convention Center, will incorporate artificial intelligence into the licensing process, particularly for license application reviews.

The MOU focuses on utilizing high-performance computing to simulate reactor designs for safety evaluations and AI to automate the application reviews, which are intended to enhance and accelerate the licensing process.

The collaboration will leverage Atomic Canyon’s Neutron AI platform, powered by the FERMI AI model developed using ORNL’s Frontier supercomputer. FERMI models are taught technical nuclear industry language from documents in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s ADAMS database, which contains details of all nuclear reactors in the United States. Neutron AI streamlines how nuclear power professionals search for information and offers a clearer context for complex materials.

In addition, Atomic Canyon will accelerate the development of its Neutron Enterprise, a version of their Neutron AI that utilizes advanced cybersecurity technology and other capabilities to safeguard nuclear information.

“Our mission at Atomic Canyon is to build the most advanced generative AI platform for the nuclear industry. ORNL’s expertise in nuclear science and high-performance computing was critical for us to be able to build AI in a reliable format,” said Atomic Canyon CEO Trey Lauderdale.

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DOD Issues Directive to Boost IT, Cloud Security Against Foreign Threats
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Pete Hegseth. The defense secretary has ordered the Pentagon's CIO to secure all IT and cloud services.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a 2025 Wash100 Award recipient, has ordered immediate action to secure the Department of Defense’s information technology capabilities from adversarial influence.

Protecting DOD Supply Chain From Adversarial Threats

In a memorandum issued on July 18, Hegseth directed the DOD’s chief information officer to ensure that all IT and cloud services developed and procured for the department are protected from foreign supply chain threats, particularly those posed by adversaries such as China and Russia. The CIO will coordinate with the under secretaries of defense for acquisition and sustainment, intelligence and security, and research and engineering.

The under secretary for intelligence and security is directed to review and validate personnel security practices and insider threat programs of the defense industrial base and cloud service providers.

“The DoD will not procure any hardware or software susceptible to adversarial foreign influence that presents risk to mission accomplishment and must prevent such adversaries from introducing malicious capabilities into the products and services that are utilized by the Department,” the secretary stated in the memo.

The directive specifically calls for leveraging existing programs such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, the Software Fast Track Program, the authority to operate process, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program and the Secure Software Development Framework to identify and eliminate risks in DOD systems.

Hegseth ordered the CIO to issue additional implementation guidance within 15 days to ensure a secure environment for warfighters.

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NIST Releases Draft Updates to SP 800-53 to Boost Software Security
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Cybersecurity imagery. NIST released draft updates to Special Publication 800-53.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released draft revisions to Special Publication 800-53.

The federal agency said Tuesday the proposed changes aim to enhance the secure and reliable deployment of software patches and updates, following mandates from Executive Order 14306, titled Sustaining Select Efforts to Strengthen the Nation’s Cybersecurity and Amending Executive Order 13694 and Executive Order 14144.

Proposed SP 800-53 Updates

The draft includes the following proposed changes:

  • Update to an existing control enhancement
  • Two new control enhancements
  • Six updates to existing control and control enhancement discussions
  • Updates to related controls for the new control enhancements

These revisions aim to enhance practices in software resiliency, developer testing, secure logging, least privilege for functions and tools, update deployment management, software integrity and validation, delineation of roles between organizations and developers, and root cause analysis and improvement.

The draft updates can be reviewed and commented on through the NIST SP 800-53 Public Comment Site during an expedited two-week public comment period, concluding on August 5. Users can also submit suggestions for new controls and possible updates to existing controls. NIST will review the comments and issue SP 800-53 Release 5.2.0 by Sept. 2.

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