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NRO & Space Force Launch NROL-48 Mission on SpaceX Rocket
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NRO seal. The National Reconnaissance Office, SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force have launched the NROL-48 mission.

The National Reconnaissance Office, in collaboration with SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 30, has launched the NROL-48 mission from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 22.

NRO & Space Force Launch NROL-48 Mission on SpaceX Rocket

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The NRO said Monday the NROL-48, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is the 11th proliferated architecture mission and the fifth proliferated launch of 2025. The latest mission will be part of the constellation of NRO satellites utilized for national security and the protection of partner nations. To date, the NRO has launched over 200 satellites in the last two years.

Advancing Data Resilience and Capability

The proliferated constellation strengthens mission capability with shorter revisit times, enhanced observational persistence and faster data handling. This helps ensure that precise and timely intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data is delivered to military, civil and allied partners.

The NRO has additional proliferated launches planned through 2029 to ensure sustained growth and innovation. The agency’s next-generation systems will continue supporting intelligence and military partners by delivering mission-critical data faster than ever.

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Brent Ingraham Begins Role as Army’s Acquisition Chief
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Brent Ingraham. The Army’s acquisition chief took oath following his Senate confirmation.

Brent Ingraham took oath Monday as assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology following his Senate confirmation.

The Army said Monday Ingraham will manage a $170 billion portfolio spanning over 550 acquisition programs, focusing on delivering advanced technologies to help warfighters meet future challenges.

In this capacity, he will serve as the Army’s acquisition executive, science adviser to the secretary of the Army, senior procurement executive and senior research and development official. He will additionally be responsible for the Department of the Army’s logistics-related matters.

Who Is Brent Ingraham?

Most recently, Ingraham performed the duties of deputy under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. In this role, he was responsible for matters related to acquisition, contract administration, logistics and materiel readiness, acquisition workforce, installations and environment, operational energy chemical, biological and nuclear defense, and the defense industrial base.

He also previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for platform and weapon portfolio management and oversaw weapons capability portfolios across the Pentagon, including aerial, cyber, surface and electronic warfare systems.

His previous roles include executive director of the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, director of surface warfare and chief engineer for the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle.

The University of New Hampshire mechanical engineering graduate started his career in the automotive industry as a powertrain engineer.

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Senate Confirms Trump Nominee Gen. Christopher Mahoney as Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs
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Christopher Mahoney, vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mahoney previously led the Marine Corps

The Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed Marine Corps Gen. Christopher Mahoney as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Legislators voted to install Mahoney to the military’s second-highest ranking officer on Friday, according to records on Congress.gov.

Who Is the Joint Chiefs’ New Vice Chair?

President Donald Trump nominated Mahoney to serve as the next vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in June. At the time, Mahoney was still the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, a role he has held since November 2023.

He briefly performed the duties of Marine Corps commandant, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Gen. Eric Smith was recovering from a cardiac arrest episode and open-heart surgery. 

Mahoney also previously served as deputy commander of U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, director of strategy and plans at Headquarters Marine Corps, deputy commander for the U.S. Forces Japan and commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. He has deployed to the Indo-Pacific, Italy and Iraq. 

The military leader is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as TOPGUN, and has logged over 5,000 hours of flight time piloting the A-6 Intruder, F-5 Tiger, F-18 Hornet and F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. 

Gen. Christopher Mahoney’s Priorities

At his confirmation hearing, Mahoney told lawmakers that he will pursue electromagnetic spectrum “dominance or exploitation.” He also highlighted the need for investments and training and education on electromagnetic spectrum operations.

“Use of exploitation of and the ability to manipulate the EM spectrum is part of your warfighting function of fires, of intel, etc. And you have to be able to do that … from a training perspective in order to apply it, should we have to fight,” Mahoney stated via DefenseScoop. 

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John Squires Appointed USPTO Director, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property
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USPTO Director John Squires. John Squires has been appointed USPTO director and commerce under secretary.

John Squires has been selected as the new director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He will also serve as under secretary of commerce for intellectual property.

As the chief intellectual property executive, Squires will serve as an adviser to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump and various government agencies. He will provide insights on IP policies, advancing innovation and enhancing global competitiveness.

Squires will replace Coke Morgan Stewart, who has served in an acting capacity and will now resume her role as deputy director.

Who Is John Squires?

Squires is a global leader in intellectual property, currently chairing the emerging companies practice at Dilworth Paxson and serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law. Additionally, he contributes his expertise as a board member of FinClusive and as counsel to the board at RANE.

The executive previously served as a co-chair of the IP group at Perkins Coie for nearly five years, specializing in FinTech, cybersecurity, blockchain and digital media. He spent almost nine years as chief IP counsel at Goldman Sachs, where he founded the investment bank’s IP practice.

Earlier in his career, Squires was general counsel and chief IP counsel at Honeywell, and an associate at Clifford Chance and Morgan & Finnegan.

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Treasury Department Advances IT Modernization Efforts With New BPAs
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IT modernization. The Treasury Department signed BPAs with tech companies to support IT modernization efforts within the IRS.

The Department of the Treasury has signed a series of blanket purchase agreements with several technology companies to support IT modernization efforts within the Internal Revenue Service.

The Treasury said Monday the move reflects its commitment to enhancing taxpayer services, strengthening compliance and improving cybersecurity.

Modernizing Taxpayer Services

The department has extended its contract with Salesforce to modernize taxpayer services by supporting improvements to the Tax Pro Online Account, individual and business online accounts, and customer contact centers.

The Treasury has signed contracts with Iron Mountain, GovCIO, VASTEC and 22nd Century to reduce paper-based filings and accelerate digital adoption as part of its Zero Paper Initiative.

Improving Data Integrity

The Treasury has tapped Palantir for a contract to improve data integrity and technical infrastructure. Under the contract, the company will enable a common application programming interface layer that supports data analytics, workflow automation and developer platforms in support of federal employees.

According to the department, all commercial tools under contracts are already “FedRAMPed,” or authorized under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

The department said it will continue to work with industry partners and adopt new technologies to meet its modernization goals.

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NRO Pushes Innovation to Meet ISR Needs Faster
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Chris Scolese. The NRO director said the agency accelerates space innovation to deliver intelligence at the speed of need.

National Reconnaissance Office Director Chris Scolese, a five-time Wash100 Award recipient, said the agency is focused on accelerating the delivery of space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance through innovation and a growing satellite architecture. Speaking at the Intelligence and National Security Summit, Scolese emphasized that NRO must deliver information “at the speed of need” to maintain America’s information advantage.

NRO Pushes Innovation to Meet ISR Needs Faster

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Expanding a Proliferated Architecture

Over the past 30 months, NRO has launched more than 200 satellites as part of its proliferated architecture. The expanded constellation is designed to shorten revisit times and ensure users receive information when it is most needed.

“This allows us to revisit the target faster, so we’re delivering the information that the user needs within the time span that the user needs it,” Scolese said.

The architecture is also intended to boost agility and resilience. “We are constantly looking at our sensors to make sure they can’t be jammed, that we can deliver the data through all phases of conflict,” the NRO director.

Cybersecurity as Top Priority

Scolese identified cybersecurity as his highest priority, pointing to the challenges of defending systems against low-cost but high-impact cyber threats.

“Cyber is the one area where the cost of admission is cheap,” he said. “We’re investing in it and appreciate ideas from industry on how we can be more effective and protect our systems.”

The director also underscored the importance of workforce empowerment in sustaining innovation. “Our people have great ideas, and we need to let them go off and do those things,” Scolese said.

The summit, co-hosted by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance and AFCEA International, brought together more than 2,000 participants from government, industry and academia.

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GSA & Meta Partner to Launch OneGov AI Initiative
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Handshake. GSA and Meta have partnered to incorporate Llama open source AI models into the OneGov framework.

The General Services Administration has collaborated with Meta to launch a new initiative incorporating Llama open source artificial intelligence models into the OneGov framework.

Accelerating Federal AI Adoption

GSA said Monday the strategic partnership aims to streamline the federal sector’s access to Llama open source AI models by removing the need for individual agencies to negotiate agreements. This is intended to reduce redundant efforts and fast-track federal AI adoption.

The agreement aligns with the government’s AI Action Plan. It supports the Office of Management and Budget’s Memoranda M-25-21 and M-25-22, which aim to drive innovation, good governance and efficient AI adoption in government.

Meta’s Llama gives federal agencies complete control over data processing and storage. The open source nature of these models enables technical teams to develop, implement and expand AI applications while reducing costs and fostering transparency and reproducibility in AI research.

Remarks From FAS Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum

“Thanks to Meta and its commitment to advancing public sector services, our federal partners now have easier access to Llama and open source AI, which offers unique benefits for federal agencies and government use cases. Through these OneGov initiatives, GSA is driving an unprecedented acceleration of AI adoption across the federal government,” said Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, recipient of the 2025 Wash100 Award.

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Naval Undersea Warfare Center Unveils Mastery of the Seas at All Depths 2035 Strategic Vision
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Marie Bussiere, technical director at NUWC Division Newport. Bussiere talked about NUWC's strategic vision for 2035

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center has unveiled Mastery of the Seas at All Depths 2035, a 10-year strategic vision that aims to drive the adoption of new technologies and strengthen industry partnerships to accelerate the delivery of capabilities to warfighters. Marie Bussiere, who has been serving as technical director for the NUWC Division Newport since November 2023, presented the strategic vision during a panel discussion at Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance’s Defense Innovation Days.

“We must become stronger and more agile partners to rapidly respond to fleet demands and identify the capabilities that must be developed to meet those demands,” the official said. “Together, we must define new paths to innovate, deliver and sustain capabilities in our fleet as fast as possible.”

NUWC Capability Focus Areas

During the panel, Bussiere shared new capability focus areas in the strategic vision where Division Newport is involved, such as weapon lethality, undersea sensing, subsea and seabed warfare, assured communications, platform defense and survivability, undersea warfare command and control, undersea robotics and autonomous systems, tactical oceanography, and cybersecurity.

She revealed that the division has developed technology roadmaps that identify key program sponsors and performers within the organization and external partners to execute the mission.

“We encourage you to join us, leveraging your independent research and development as appropriate, as we move forward with opportunities for you to develop capabilities and prototype technologies within these areas,” she stated.

Navy’s SSW Challenges

The panel also covered the subsea and seabed warfare, or SSW, challenges the Navy faces, and areas where industry can offer its assistance.

Mark Vaccaro, SSW director at NUWC Division Newport, explained that the Navy needs to expand its presence in places that manned platforms cannot reach. These remote locations, although they offer potential military advantage, are challenging due to what he called the five Ds: deep, dark, dangerous, difficult and denied.

According to the official, the Navy requires systems with “super autonomy capabilities” and long endurance to swim through straits. The systems must also be able to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in GPS-denied environments.

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Dario Gil, Conner Prochaska Confirmed for Top DOE Posts
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Dario Gil and Conner Prochaska received Senate confirmation for top DOE roles.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Dario Gil as the under secretary for science and innovation at the Department of Energy and Conner Prochaska as director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E.

The upper chamber confirmed the top two DOE leaders, along with dozens of other nominees for federal government positions, through an en bloc vote of 51-47.

Who Is Dario Gil?

Gil most recently served as senior vice president and director of research at IBM. In this capacity, he directed innovation strategies in hybrid cloud, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and exploratory science. He was also responsible for the tech company’s intellectual property strategy and business.

The National Science Board chairman has served on the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

He co-chairs the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab and the executive board of the International Science Reserve.

Gil sits on the boards of several organizations, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Semiconductor Industry Association and the New York Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering member holds Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.

Who Is Conner Prochaska?

According to his LinkedIn profile, Prochaska has been serving as senior adviser to the DOE secretary since February. He assumed responsibilities as chief AI officer at the department in May.

Before DOE, he was chief of strategic partnerships at Bohr Quantum Technology.

During President Trump’s first term, he was chief commercialization officer and director of the Office of Technology Transitions at DOE. He also served as a senior adviser and chief of staff at ARPA-E.

Prochaska served in the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer.

The Texas A&M University holds a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School.

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Jason Richards Named FBI Assistant Director of IT Applications & Data
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Jason Richards. FBI veteran Jason Richards has been named the agency's assistant director of IT applications and data.

Jason Richards, a 20-year FBI veteran, has been named the agency’s assistant director of the IT applications and data division, or ITADD. Richards shared his appointment on LinkedIn.

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In this capacity, Richards will oversee the development and maintenance of enterprise software systems, data and cloud infrastructure, and cross-domain services supporting national security and law enforcement operations.

He will leverage his extensive experience in developing, mentoring and leading cross-functional teams to achieve mission goals with a focus on innovation, policy constraints, and time, risk and budget management.

Jason Richards’ Work at FBI

Richards previously served as deputy assistant director and was section chief of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. He spearheaded enterprise efforts for cloud strategy and enhanced supply chain risk management.

The new AD was an assistant special agent in charge, assistant section chief of the counterterrorism division and supervisory special agent, and unit chief of the directorate of intelligence. He joined the FBI in 2005 and served as a special agent for nearly nine years.

Pre-FBI Career

Before joining the FBI, Richards was a trial attorney for Hrabcak & Company for nearly five years. He held the same role at Kelley Ferraro and Smearman Marshall.

Jason Richards Named FBI Assistant Director of IT Applications & Data
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