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DARPA Launches RoQS Program Phase 1 to Develop Quantum Sensing Tech for Defense Use
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Quantum technology. DARPA new program aims to accelerate the use of quantum sensing in defense

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has commenced phase one of the Robust Quantum Sensors, or RoQS, program to advance the development of quantum sensing technologies for defense applications.

The agency said Wednesday that the program has two technical areas running simultaneously.

The first technical area involves building and testing compact walk-on/walk-off quantum sensors for government-provided helicopters. DARPA explained that helicopters are associated with strong electromagnetic fields, vibrations and gradients, which are elements that could affect the performance of quantum sensors.

For the second technical area, participants are tasked to collaborate with the defense industrial base to determine where quantum sensors could generate value. The effort would guide the development of integration and technical requirements for the next phase of the RoQS program.

DARPA’s Quantum Sensing Challenge

DARPA launched the RoQS program in February to accelerate the transition of robust quantum sensors from laboratory to mission, allowing warfighters across all domains to benefit from precise detection of acceleration, rotation, gravity, and magnetic and electric fields.

Although quantum sensors offer unmatched precision, their sensitivity creates a challenge in real-world environments. DARPA said even minor electromagnetic interference can affect performance, limiting the use of the technology in the lab setting.

Instead of applying temporary fixes to address the issue, the agency wants to completely rethink quantum sensors.

DARPA is also aiming to unlock new capabilities in navigation, threat detection and situational awareness and support Department of Defense missions on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space.

“We’re looking beyond helicopters,” commented Jonathan Hoffman, RoQS program manager at DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office. “The sensor technologies we’re developing should be applicable to a broad range of DOD platforms – no matter the domain.”

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Army Selects 3 Firms to Develop Infantry Support Vehicles Under OTA Contracts
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U.S. Army logo. Three companies landed OTA contracts from the Army to convert ISVs into autonomous vehicles.

Three companies—Forterra, Overland AI and Scout AI—have secured other transaction authority agreements worth $15 million from the U.S. Army to test the conversion of infantry support vehicles, or ISVs, into autonomous vehicles. 

Army Unmanned System Autonomy Contract Details

Under the Unmanned Systems Autonomy, or UxS, contracts, the companies will integrate commercial autonomous mobility technology into Army formations, the service branch announced on Wednesday. Each of the firms will install autonomous solutions on ISVs and provide prototypes for soldier demonstrations and evaluations in May 2026. The Army will use the demonstrations and evaluations to decide how to use and potentially expand the technology to other ground vehicles. 

Overland AI Co-founder and President Stephanie Bonk told Breaking Defense that the company will install its autonomy software, Overdrive, and its hardware system, Spark, on the ISVs. After that, the upgraded ISVs will be sent to soldiers in the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk for six months of testing, which will include a Combat Training Center rotation.

Army’s Ken Berrier, Overland AI’s Stephanie Bonk, Scout AI’s Colin Otis and Forterra’s Pat Acox Share Thoughts

Commenting on the award, Col. Ken Bernier, the project manager for Future Battle Platforms, said, “We are looking forward to seeing how our industry partner’s autonomy solutions perform on vehicles while performing relevant military missions.”

“This effort will serve as an opportunity for the Army to assess the reliability of commercial autonomy and their ability to deliver real operational value to Soldiers in the field,” he added.

Bonk said the initiative will serve as the Army’s  “springboard for ground autonomy.”

“This is going to really define where the Army is going in the future, whether it continues to be ISVs or some other vehicle,” she added.

Collin Otis, Scout AI’s co-founder and chief technology officer, said the effort was a “super positive” step for the Army in its pursuit of next-generation AI systems.

“For us, it’s been super positive to see them rapidly onboarding that technology. It’s obviously a lot lower cost, it’s a lot higher capability and it is already at rate in terms of production and manufacturing,” Otis remarked.

Forterra Vice President for Defense Business Development Pat Acox said, “Our job is straightforward: build systems that work in the field and make the soldier’s mission easier, not harder.”

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Emil Michael Named Acting DIU Director
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Emil Michael. The DOD chief technology officer has been named DIU’s acting director.

Emil Michael, the Department of Defense’s under secretary of defense for research and engineering—its unofficial chief technology officer—has taken on the role of acting director of the Defense Innovation Unit, Defense News reported Tuesday.

Michael’s appointment follows Doug Beck’s resignation as head of DIU.

As the Pentagon’s CTO, Michael is responsible for DOD’s research, development and prototyping enterprise with oversight of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Missile Defense Agency.

In May, he was confirmed by the Senate for the under secretary for research and engineering position.

Who Is Emil Michael?

Michael’s industry career included time as Uber’s chief business officer and chief operating officer of social media analytics company Klout.

The former White House Fellow served as a special assistant to the secretary of defense and led projects in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan while at the Pentagon.

He began his career as an associate within the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs.

The Harvard University graduate holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Stanford Law School.

Michael Dodd’s Appointment as Acting DIU Deputy Director

Defense News also reported the appointment of Michael Dodd, the incoming assistant secretary of defense for critical technologies, as DIU’s acting deputy director.

According to the report, Dodd oversees energy programs within the National Security Innovation Capital office, a DIU component.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran would help advance hypersonics, 5G, microelectronics, autonomy and other critical defense and dual-use technologies if confirmed for the assistant secretary position.

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CISA Acting Director Swears In Brian Bonacci as Chief of Staff
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Brian Bonacci. CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala swore in Brian Bonacci as the new chief of staff.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has formally appointed Brian Bonacci as its new chief of staff. CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala swore Bonacci in during a ceremony attended by Bonacci’s family.

CISA Acting Director Swears In Brian Bonacci as Chief of Staff

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Who Is Brian Bonacci?

The new chief of staff brings more than three decades of federal information technology leadership to the agency. He began his career as a computer scientist at the General Accounting Office and later worked at the Internal Revenue Service, where he contributed to strategies for the Tax Systems Modernization Program.

He went on to hold senior leadership roles in the private sector, including assistant vice president at SAIC and senior vice president for growth and strategy at RIVA Solutions. He also served in leadership positions with Equinix, ScienceLogic, Infinera, Level 3 and Qwest. Most recently, he was founder and president of gScale Consulting, advising federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security on strategy, planning and transformation initiatives.

At CISA, Bonacci will oversee strategy, planning and resource allocation to support the agency’s mission, with a focus on aligning operations and driving effectiveness. 

Bonacci holds a master’s degree in information technology management from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from West Virginia University.

He has been active in professional associations, including the Government Business Executive Forum, the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center and the Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association.

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Deltek’s Kevin Plexico on AI’s Growing Role in Proposal Development
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Kevin Plexico. Deltek’s SVP of information solutions said GovCon firms are using AI to enhance proposal development.

Kevin Plexico, senior vice president of Information Solutions at Deltek and a six-time Wash100 awardee, said artificial intelligence is helping government contractors streamline proposal development processes.

In a blog post published June 25 on Deltek’s website, Plexico wrote that AI has become a “brainstorming companion” by enabling proposal teams to respond to requests for information, draft capture plans, develop compliance matrices and break down complex requests for proposals into manageable components.

“And these aren’t just conveniences, they’re force multipliers that elevate the entire proposal process,” noted Plexico, a GovCon Expert.

“Proposal teams that embrace AI will have the edge through greater speed, sharper accuracy and deeper insight. And as more companies implement AI into their workflows, the gap widens between those that implement AI and those that don’t,” he added.

GovWin IQ’s Ask Dela Opportunity Chat

The Deltek executive noted that the company is transforming proposal development with AI-powered capabilities like Ask Dela Opportunity Chat in its GovWin IQ market intelligence platform.

In this post, Plexico said Ask Dela Opportunity Chat could support bid/no-bid decisions by allowing proposal teams to gain insights into top competitors, evaluation criteria, analyst-validated updates and other lead details.

“As you enter pursuit, we’ve introduced automated proposal outlines, transforming how government contractors align and anchor their RFP responses. These features are uniquely built by industry analysts and carefully prompted behind the scenes in partnership with leading consultants to provide accessible, actionable, and most importantly, accurate outlines,” the 2025 Wash100 awardee stated.

“By giving customers efficiency in their most time-intensive processes while allowing them to own their strategic narrative, you’re able to reduce rework and amplify your competitive edge,” he added.

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DOD Terminates JCIDS to Advance Joint Requirements Process Reform
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The Pentagon. DOD called for the disestablishment of JCIDS to reform the joint requirements process and speed up acquisition.

The Department of Defense has called for the “disestablishment” of the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System, or JCIDS, as part of efforts to streamline acquisition and reform the joint requirements process, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

JCIDS is a joint staff process used to identify gaps in military capabilities and validate joint requirements.

Reforming DOD Joint Requirements Process to Expedite Warfighting Tech Deployment

The move is part of an Aug. 20 memo titled “Reforming the Joint Requirements Process to Accelerate Fielding of Warfighting Capabilities.” In the memo, defense secretary and 2025 Wash100 awardee Pete Hegseth and Steve Feinberg, deputy DOD secretary, outlined a roadmap to help the Pentagon speed up the deployment of new technologies and capabilities.

According to the memo initially published by NewSpace Nexus, the reform’s objectives are streamlining and accelerating the identification of top priority joint force needs; facilitating engagement with industry; and advancing greater integration of requirements determination and resource prioritization to ensure budgeting decisions are focused on the most critical needs.

DOD Plans for JROC & RRAB Establishment 

Under the memo, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or VCJCS, should immediately direct the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, or JROC, to stop validating component-level requirement documents.

Within 120 days, the VCJCS should reorient JROC as the Pentagon’s single forum for identifying and ranking joint force key operational problems, or KOP, and related capability gaps.

The vice chairman should coordinate with the director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to establish the Requirements and Resourcing Alignment Board, or RRAB, within 120 days.

Each budget cycle, the DOD document directs RRAB to select topics from the top-ranked KOP and nominations from the co-chairs to conduct analysis, release programming guidance and recommend allocation of funding from the Joint Acceleration Reserve. By exception, the board may identify component-specific activity or requirement for termination or modification.

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Michelle Miller Appointed Director of Contract Policy at DOD
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Michelle Miller. Miller has been named as the new director of contract policy at the Department of Defense.

Michelle Miller has been appointed to the Senior Executive Service and named as the next director of contract policy in the Office of Defense Pricing, Contracting and Acquisition Policy at the Department of Defense. She will be handling all operations and activities of the DPCAP/CP Directorate, according to the memorandum issued by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on Tuesday.

Miller will be replacing Col. Steven Green, who served as the acting director for the past eight months. John Tenaglia, the principal director for DCAP, signed the memorandum.

Who Is Michelle Miller?

Before her appointment, Miller was a procurement analyst at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. She was also a procurement analyst at the National Guard Bureau. She also became a branch chief and supervisory contracting officer at the U.S. Army Contracting Command. Miller also previously served as a contracting officer at the Army’s Intelligence and Security Command. She began her career as a contracts specialist at the Marine Corps Systems Command. 

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Army Begins UAS Production Under Tranche 2 of Short-Range Reconnaissance Program
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U.S. Army logo. According to the Army, short-range reconnaissance drones can enhance soldier survivability.

The U.S. Army has started production of the short-range reconnaissance, or SRR, drones as part of its effort to modernize its battlefield capabilities. 

Teal Drones, a subsidiary of Red Cat, is one of the two vendors the service selected to manufacture drones Tranche 2 of the program. The company will equip Transformation in Contact, or TiC, units with its Black Widow unmanned aircraft system to counter emerging threats, the Army said Tuesday. 

Fielding of drones as part of SRR Tranche 1 began in September 2022. The Army has so far fielded the capability across 16 brigades. 

For Tranche 2 of the program, the Army incorporated lessons learned from previous fieldings into the technologies. 

SRR drones are equipped with sensors that integrate with the Army’s uncrewed vehicle control and Android tactical assault kit capabilities. The unmanned systems are expected to increase soldier survivability by providing real-time intelligence and target acquisition, detecting threats and identifying safe routes.

Black Widow UAS Details

Black Widow is part of Teal Drones’ Arachnid family of unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and precision strike systems. 

According to the company, Black Widow weighs about 1.63 kilograms, making it easily portable, and quiet acoustic signature for stealth missions. It can fly at a speed of 23 miles per hour with a range of 8 kilometers and a flight time of over 35 minutes. 

The drone is equipped with Teledyne’s forward-looking infrared, or FLIR, Prism artificial intelligence software stack to detect, classify and track objects of interest. Black Widow also features Doodle Hex-Band Radio with frequency stepping to enhance resilience against electronic warfare attacks; Reveal Farsight 3D mapping software; and Athena AI target identification, tracking and classification software.

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CMS Launches AI Challenge to Address Medicare Fraud
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Healthcare tech. CMS launched the Crushing Fraud Chili Cook-Off Competition to address Medicare fraud.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a research contest called the Crushing Fraud Chili Cook-Off Competition to address fraudulent activities within the Medicare program.

CMS Launches AI Challenge to Address Medicare Fraud

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The research challenge invites interested participants to submit potential approaches for detecting anomalies like false billing, upcoding and services not rendered in Medicare Fee-for-Service claims data, CMS said. The agency seeks data-driven methodologies such as explainable artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies for fraud detection. These technologies will analyze large datasets and detect unusual patterns or trends that could signify possible illegal activities.

Aside from detecting patterns, the approach should be able to develop transparent, evidence-based fraud indicators that will be used for flagging fraudulent schemes. In addition, CMS is also looking for scalable technologies for streamlining operations and minimizing manual workload, while keeping humans involved to provide trusted outcomes.

Cook-Off Challenge Details

The competition has two phases. During the first phase, which started on Aug. 19 and will end on Sept. 19, interested teams will submit detailed proposals. Ten finalists will move on to the second phase, from Oct. 31 to Dec.1, where they gain access to a limited dataset of Medicare claims to evaluate their proposed AI/ML approaches.

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National Institutes of Health CIO Adele Merritt Resigns
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Adele Merritt. The NIH CIO resigned from her position to join the University of Maryland's ARLIS.

Adele Merritt has stepped down as the National Institutes of Health’s chief information officer, Federal News Network reported Friday.

Merritt is joining the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security.

National Institutes of Health CIO Adele Merritt Resigns

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With Merritt’s departure, Jon Henke, the acting deputy director and deputy CIO at NIH, now serves as the agency’s acting CIO. Henke is also the National Human Genome Research Institute’s CIO.

Who Is Adele Merritt?

Merritt assumed the CIO role at NIH in December, bringing more than 20 years of experience in cyber and national security operations to the position.

Before NIH, she served as the intelligence community CIO at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where she led modernization initiatives to improve security, transform enterprise IT and foster collaboration across intelligence agencies.

The former National Security Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government was also principal deputy CIO for cyber at the Department of Energy and held senior roles at the White House National Security Council Staff.

The Pace University finance graduate holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston.

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