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US Navy to Build ‘Trump-Class’ Battleships for Golden Fleet Initiative
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The official seal of the U.S. Navy. The Navy expects to have up to 25 Trump-class warships, a new class of battleship.

President Donald Trump has unveiled plans to build a new class of battleships that will be equipped with advanced deep-strike weapons and deliver enhanced firepower to the U.S. Navy. 

Named after the president, the Trump-class ships will be thrice the size of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and will operate alongside a Carrier Strike Group to provide traditional integrated air and missile defense capabilities or lead a Surface Action Group for surface and anti-submarine warfare missions, the Navy said on Dec. 22.

“They’ll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Trump stated in a report from Breaking Defense.

The Trump-class ships are part of Golden Fleet, a military initiative to revitalize the domestic maritime industrial base.

How Powerful Will USS Defiant Be?

During a presentation at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the president, alongside Navy Secretary John Phelan and War Secretary and 2025 Wash100 awardee Pete Hegseth, introduced USS Defiant, the first Trump-class battleship. 

“The future Trump-class battleship – the USS Defiant – will be the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans,” Phelan stated. 

Renderings of USS Defiant revealed that the ship will have SPY-6 radar arrays, Block III Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program systems, missile launchers and gun systems, Naval News reported.

When Will Trump-Class Battleships Sail?

The Department of War revealed that the Trump-class battleships are still in the design phase, with USS Defiant projected to begin construction in the early 2030s. 

The U.S. Navy will first build two new battleships, but plans are in place to expand the service’s Trump-class fleet to up to 25 ships.

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NIST’s CAISI Seeks Partners to Advance AI Action Plan Priorities
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Artificial intelligence. CAISI is inviting AI experts to express interest in supporting federal AI efforts.

The Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking artificial intelligence experts interested in working at CAISI as it expands work tied to the White House’s AI Action Plan.

NIST said Dec. 19 that CAISI will engage a broad range of AI experts through federal hiring, guest researcher arrangements and nonprofit collaborations. CAISI is scaling its operations to deliver on seventeen specific taskings under the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan. CAISI, operating as a startup, is the federal government’s primary industry-facing hub for testing and evaluating frontier AI models.

NIST’s CAISI Seeks Partners to Advance AI Action Plan Priorities

AI is now embedded in how government and defense organizations analyze data, manage operations and make decisions. The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 19 will bring together federal officials, defense leaders and industry practitioners to examine how AI, machine learning and automation are being applied in real mission environments. Register now to join the conversation.

How Does CAISI Work With Industry and Federal Partners?

CAISI works with AI companies on a voluntary basis to evaluate high-capability models prior to deployment. The center also collaborates with federal partners, including the intelligence community.

It is seeking experts to drive several initiatives that will define the future of AI safety and competition. Key project areas may include:

  • AI security and red-teaming: Testing AI systems for vulnerabilities like “jailbreaks” and “prompt injections.” This involves both manual and automated “red-teaming” to build stronger security guidelines.
  • Standards and guidelines: Creating voluntary resources for government and industry to ensure AI systems are robust and secure, and that evaluations are reproducible.
  • National security risk evaluations: Measuring AI capabilities in sensitive fields:
    • Cyber: Assessing AI’s ability to find and exploit vulnerabilities.
    • Biology and chemistry: Evaluating risks related to biomolecular design and chemical modeling.
  • Global AI landscape monitoring: Producing reports on the evolution of U.S. and foreign AI capabilities, including the detection of foreign political bias in models.
  • Advanced measurement science: Improving how AI performance is evaluated. This includes vetting benchmarks for accuracy and exploring “LLM-as-judge” scoring methods.

What Skills and Expertise Is CAISI Looking For?

Operating with offices in downtown San Francisco and Washington, D.C., CAISI is specifically looking for software engineers, AI research engineers and AI research scientists; cyber experts, biosecurity experts, computational and structural biologists; and researchers specializing in the measurement and validation of AI systems within operational environments.

Interested individuals may express their interest in working with CAISI through Google Forms.

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Defense Health Agency Seeking Industry Feedback on MHS GENESIS EHR Draft Contract Strategy
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Defense Health Agency's logo. DHA issued its draft contract strategy for the MHS GENESIS program

The Defense Health Agency has issued the draft contract strategy for its planned deployment of the Military Health Systems, or MHS, Genesis electronic health record, also known as EHR, platform.

Defense Health Agency Seeking Industry Feedback on MHS GENESIS EHR Draft Contract Strategy

The modernization of federal EHR services is one of the main topics that government and industry experts will discuss at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Healthcare Summit on Feb. 12. DHA leaders Jesus Caban and Rear Adm. Tracy Farrill will participate in panel discussions on cloud, artificial intelligence and observability in health services. Do not miss your chance to gather insights directly from top healthcare decision makers. Get your tickets today.

What Does DHA Want to Know?

The draft Health Care Delivery Solutions Electronic Health Record Follow-On, published on SAM.gov on Dec. 22, outlines a proposed structure separating program management office, product and service support.

Program management office support covers technical integration, design reviews, capability delivery roadmap maintenance, enterprise architecture and cybersecurity.

Meanwhile, product support focuses on management of software access and licensing, maintenance and updates, security and compliance, and infrastructure and platform services.

Services support includes end user experience, help desk and deployment.

The agency specifically is asking for industry feedback on help desk performance, training needs, testing responsibilities and data analytics roles. The agency also wants to know if the cloud transition can be completed in 2027 if contracts are awarded in or around July 2027.

Responses are due Jan. 9.

The draft contract strategy was developed using feedback from a previously issued request for information and an industry day held on Nov. 5.

What Is MHS GENESIS?

MHS GENESIS serves as the single health record for service members, veterans and their loved ones. It is the Military Health System’s modernized EHR, providing access to health information and allowing users to exchange messages with their care team or request prescription refills.

The platform integrates commercial off-the-shelf EHR components from Oracle Health, Henry Schein, Converge, Artera and other providers.

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FCC Adds Foreign-Made Drones, Components to Covered List on National Security Grounds
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FCC logo. The FCC has added foreign-produced drones and UAS components to its Covered List.

The Federal Communications Commission has updated its Covered List to include foreign-produced unmanned aircraft systems and critical UAS components. Announced by the FCC on Dec. 22, the decision restricts new equipment authorizations for such products.

Why Did the FCC Expand the Covered List?

The update follows a national security determination by an executive branch interagency body, which found that foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components pose unacceptable risks to U.S. national security and the safety of U.S. persons.

Concerns include unauthorized surveillance, sensitive data exfiltration, supply chain vulnerabilities and the potential for disruption or exploitation of drone systems operating over U.S. territory. The determination also noted heightened risk as the U.S. prepares to host major mass-gathering events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Besides drones and UAS components produced abroad, the update also incorporates communications and surveillance equipment identified under Section 1709 of the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, including those from Shenzhen Da-Jiang Innovations Sciences and Technologies and Autel Robotics.

How Does the FCC Covered List Expansion Affect Drone Use and Sales?

The FCC emphasized that the update does not prohibit the use, sale or importation of drone models that were previously authorized through the equipment authorization process. The restrictions apply only to new device models, preventing them from entering the U.S. market unless the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security grants a national security exception.

The action implements direction from national security agencies under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act and aligns with executive orders focused on restoring U.S. airspace sovereignty and strengthening the domestic drone industrial base.

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CISA, NIST Release Draft Report on Identity Token Cyberthreats for Public Comment
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CISA logo. CISA and NIST published a draft of a new interagency report on cyberthreats targeting identity tokens.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have published an initial draft of an interagency report that aims to address cyberthreats targeting identity tokens and assertions.

CISA said Monday that the draft report, titled “Protecting Tokens and Assertions from Forgery, Theft and Misuse,” is open for public comments through Jan. 30.

The report adheres to the cybersecurity directive issued by the White House in June. This EO—focused on sustaining national cyber defenses—updates and amends previous guidelines found in Executive Orders 13694 and 14144.

CISA, NIST Release Draft Report on Identity Token Cyberthreats for Public Comment

Understand the threats American systems are facing amid increasing global tensions at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Cyber Summit on May 21. The summit is open to businesses that want to learn from industry leaders or connect with key decision-makers across the public and private sectors. Click here to secure your tickets.

Why Are Cybercriminals Targeting Identity Tokens?

CISA warns that cybercriminals are compromising identity tokens and assertions—through theft, modification or forgery—to infiltrate protected resources.  The agency added that recent cyber incidents impacting cloud service providers involved some form of identity tokens and assertions misuse.

For instance, during the SolarWinds compromise in 2020, malicious actors forged Security Assertion Markup Language to bypass multi-factor authentication and access protected resources.

In another attack, foreign actors forged tokens and assertions to hack into email systems that multiple federal agencies used.

The report provides the cloud service providers and agencies with architectural considerations and recommended enhancements to safeguard identity tokens and assertions.

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War Department to Provide xAI for Government Capabilities via GenAI.mil
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Department of War logo. DOW signed a new agreement with xAI.

The Department of War will add xAI for Government to GenAI.mil, its bespoke platform that brings generative artificial intelligence capabilities to all civilians, contractors and military personnel under DOW. 

The department said Monday that it entered into an agreement with xAI for the company’s suite of frontier‑grade capabilities, which are based on the Grok family of models. DOW expects initial deployment in early 2026.

War Department to Provide xAI for Government Capabilities via GenAI.mil

The Potomac Officers Club will host a panel on artificial intelligence at the 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29. Leaders from across the Pentagon and industry are gathering at the event to discuss the key technologies revolutionizing defense operations and warfighting and to forge new partnerships that advance national security goals. Click here to secure your spot in this highly anticipated GovCon event.

What Does xAI for Government Offer to the Pentagon?

The agreement enables Pentagon personnel to use xAI for Government at Impact Level 5 environments, where handling controlled unclassified information, or CUI, is part of daily workflows.

Launched in July, xAI for Government also provides federal, state and local government agencies with access to agentic tools, application programming interfaces and real-time global insights generated from the social media site X.

xAI for Government will be the second frontier AI that the DOW integrated into GenAI.mil, following the integration of Google’s Gemini for Government into the platform in early December.

Is Grok Available to Government Agencies?

The integration of xAI for Government into GenAI.mil comes a few months after xAI signed a OneGov deal with the General Services Administration to make Grok 4 and Grok 4 Fast AI models available for $0.42 for government use.

According to Elon Musk, CEO of xAI and a 2025 Wash100 Award winner, the company’s frontier AI models will drive innovation and mission efficiency across the U.S. government. 

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HHS Proposes HTI-5 Rule to Cut Health IT Burden, Advance AI-Enabled Interoperability
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HHS logo. HHS released the HTI-5 proposed rule.

The Department of Health and Human Services has released a proposed rule aimed at streamlining federal health IT certification requirements, strengthening patient protections against information blocking and laying new groundwork for artificial intelligence-enabled data exchange across the healthcare system.

HHS said Monday that the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: ASTP/ONC Deregulatory Actions to Unleash Prosperity proposed rule, known as HTI-5, advances the administration’s deregulation and AI leadership agenda.

The proposal was released through the assistant secretary for technology policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

HHS Proposes HTI-5 Rule to Cut Health IT Burden, Advance AI-Enabled Interoperability

Federal healthcare agencies are navigating large-scale modernization efforts while balancing interoperability, cybersecurity and patient outcomes. The 2025 Healthcare Summit on Feb.12, 2026, brings together government and industry leaders to examine how health IT, data platforms and digital services are being modernized across civilian and defense health systems. Register now!

How Would HTI-5 Change the Health IT Certification Program?

HTI-5 proposes a significant reset of the ONC Health IT Certification Program by removing more than half of the existing certification criteria and revising others to eliminate duplication and reduce compliance burden for developers.

HHS projects that these reforms will save health IT developers over 1.4 million compliance hours in the first year alone. This reduction in administrative burden is expected to generate $1.53 billion in total economic savings, including $650 million in direct cost reductions for stakeholders over the next five years.

The revised certification framework would prioritize standards-based application programming interfaces, with a specific focus on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources.

What Updates Are Proposed for Information Blocking Rules?

The rule also proposes targeted revisions to information blocking definitions, exceptions and conditions. HHS said the updates are intended to address stakeholder concerns about potential misuse of existing provisions while reinforcing patient access to electronic health information.

According to the department, the changes would ultimately strengthen enforcement by clarifying regulatory expectations and reducing ambiguity around permitted data exchange practices.

The proposed rule is published in the Federal Register and open for public comment for 60 days. 

The proposal aligns with recent HHS efforts to accelerate AI adoption across clinical care, including a request for information seeking public input on how regulatory, reimbursement and research levers can better support AI use.

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NIST Invests $20M to Establish AI Centers for Manufacturing, Critical Infrastructure Security
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Artificial intelligence. NIST partners with MITRE to establish new AI centers.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is investing $20 million to establish two new artificial intelligence centers focused on U.S. manufacturing productivity and the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure through an expanded collaboration with MITRE.

NIST said Monday that the initiative creates the AI Economic Security Center for U.S. Manufacturing Productivity and the AI Economic Security Center to Secure U.S. Critical Infrastructure from Cyberthreats. MITRE will operate both centers in partnership with NIST, industry and academic institutions.

NIST Invests $20M to Establish AI Centers for Manufacturing, Critical Infrastructure Security

AI is moving from pilot programs to operational use across federal agencies. The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit convenes government and industry practitioners to examine how AI, machine learning and automation are being applied today; what is working in practice; and what challenges remain as adoption accelerates. Register now to join the conversation.

How Will the New AI Centers Be Used?

The manufacturing-focused center will concentrate on applying AI to improve efficiency, quality and competitiveness across U.S. industrial sectors. The critical infrastructure center will address cybersecurity challenges, including AI-enabled cyber risks, by enabling real-time threat detection, predictive analytics and automated response capabilities.

NIST said the effort is intended to accelerate the transition of AI technologies from research into deployable, real-world systems while reducing reliance on insecure or adversarial AI tools.

“Our goal is to remove barriers to American AI innovation and accelerate the application of our AI technologies around the world,” said Craig Burkhardt, acting under secretary of commerce for standards and technology and acting NIST director.

The partnership builds on MITRE’s role of operating federally funded research and development centers, including the National Cybersecurity FFRDC. The centers will leverage MITRE’s AI Lab, Federal AI Sandbox and tools such as ATT&CK, ATLAS and CALDERA.

“Our partnership with NIST will produce transformational research to accelerate U.S. development and adoption of reliable, secure, and trustworthy AI,” said Mark Peters, president and CEO of MITRE and a 2025 Wash100 Award recipient. “These centers will help move trusted AI where it matters most to deliver the greatest impact for the nation.”

The initiative aligns with America’s AI Action Plan, particularly efforts to accelerate AI innovation and build domestic AI infrastructure.

NIST plans to award up to $70 million over five years to establish an AI-focused Manufacturing USA institute, further expanding federal support for AI-enabled industrial resilience.

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Pentagon Makes Initial FY 2026 Selections Under APFIT Program
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Emil Michael. The under secretary of war for research and engineering commented on the APFIT program.

The Department of War has selected 14 projects for fiscal year 2026 as part of the initial round of the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies, or APFIT, program.

Pentagon Makes Initial FY 2026 Selections Under APFIT Program

Emil Michael will deliver a keynote speech at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29. Join him and other top leaders to gain exclusive insights into cutting-edge technologies and explore strategies that will advance innovation and strengthen national security. Save your spot today!

DOW said Monday the announcement brings APFIT’s total awards to more than $1 billion to small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors across the U.S.

“Crossing the billion-dollar threshold underscores APFIT’s commitment to America’s small business innovators and we are proud to accelerate the delivery of these critical capabilities to our warfighters,” said Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering.

The program’s average FY 2026 award now exceeds $30 million per project, with its highest single award reaching $49.7 million, which is just under APFIT’s statutory cap of $50 million.

What Defense Projects Received APFIT Funding in the Initial FY 2026 Round?

The selected projects for the initial APFIT round are:

  • Augmented Maneuver Vehicle for Satellites, U.S. Space Force
  • Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle for Ground Based Air Defense, U.S. Marine Corps
  • Deployable, Attritable Optical Systems, Space Force
  • Domestic High Performance UAS Batteries, U.S. Navy
  • Gremlin Low-Cost Munition, Marine Corps
  • High Frequency Intercept Direction Finding and Exploitation, U.S. Army
  • Kraken 18 Communications Pod, Navy
  • Miniaturized Gyroscope for Resilient Navigation, Marine Corps
  • Mobile Smart Manufacturing for Airframe Spares, Air Force
  • Real-Time Command and Control at the Tactical Edge, Army
  • Small Uncrewed Maritime Vessels, Navy and Marine Corps
  • Tactical High-Bandwidth, Low-Latency, high-capacity data network, Marine Corps
  • Trolling Uncrewed Navigation Assistant Seeker, Marine Corps
  • Whaleshark Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel, Marine Corps

What Is the APFIT Program?

Launched in FY 2022, the APFIT program provides procurement funding for nontraditional performers and small businesses with innovative projects that are ready to transition into operational use.

The OUSW R&E uses a competitive selection process based on warfighter impact, sustainment support and broader applicability. Funded projects span a wide range of capabilities, from undersea sensors to satellite manufacturing and launch.

In June, the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, or OUSW R&E, announced that five companies will receive awards ranging from $30 million to $42 million under the APFIT program. The companies were among the 18 projects selected to receive FY 2025 APFIT funding.

To date, the AFIT program has awarded over $1.4 billion to over 75 companies.

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Edward Forst Confirmed as GSA Administrator
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Edward Forst. The seasoned executive has been confirmed by the Senate as GSA administrator.

The Senate on Thursday voted 53-43 to confirm Edward Forst, a seasoned executive and investor, as head of the General Services Administration.

According to a congressional notice published Thursday, Forst’s nomination was included in a larger group of federal government nominees that the Senate approved en bloc.

President Trump nominated Forst for the position in July.

What Are Edward Forst’s Top Priorities as GSA Administrator?

During his Senate confirmation hearing in October, Forst said that if confirmed, his priorities are unifying the federal acquisition system, rightsizing the federal real estate portfolio, encouraging small businesses to do business with the federal government and advancing technology transformation across agencies.

“The federal government’s acquisition system must operate as a unified enterprise, not as a patchwork of disconnected transactions. Centralizing and streamlining procurement can reduce duplication, lower costs, and improve speed and consistency across the government,” Forst told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

“I am confident the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) team is prepared to fully embrace this once in a generation opportunity that will help agencies improve their mission delivery,” he added.

Who Is Edward Forst?

Forst brings decades of experience in global financial services and real estate to GSA. He spent three years as chairman of London-based private equity firm Lion Capital and served as CEO of Cushman & Wakefield. Earlier, he spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs, holding senior executive roles, including general partner, management committee member and co-CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

He also served as executive vice president and principal operating officer at Harvard University and was an adviser to the secretary of the Department of the Treasury. Forst started his career at Bankers Trust, where he served as a managing director.

He serves on the boards of the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, the Investment Committee of Roundabout Theater and the East Hampton Healthcare Foundation.

A Harvard University economics graduate, Forst holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

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