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Andrew McCarthy Named CISA Chief of Staff
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CISA Chief of Staff Andrew McCarthy. Andrew McCarthy was named CISA chief of staff.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced on LinkedIn Thursday that Andrew McCarthy has been appointed its new chief of staff.

What Will Andrew McCarthy Do as CISA Chief of Staff?

According to his official profile on the CISA website, McCarthy will oversee the agency’s daily operations while shaping its strategic direction, with a particular emphasis on policy development and organizational priorities. In this new role, he will draw upon his extensive experience across the intelligence community and the Department of Homeland Security.

What Roles Did McCarthy Hold Before Joining CISA?

Before his appointment, McCarthy served as senior adviser for cyber, infrastructure, risk and resilience at the Department of Homeland Security. He was an all-source intelligence analyst for the U.S. Air Force for more than six years and a member of the National Intelligence Council within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The executive also served as a senior intelligence analyst at the National Reconnaissance Office and a strategic communications officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

McCarthy was a program coordinator at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School and a research assistant at the Mercatus Center. Earlier in his career, McCarthy served as regional director at Torchmark.

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DHS to Recompete $100M Background Investigations Services BPA
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The Department of Homeland Security's logo. DHS issued a notice for its Background Investigations Services contract recompete

The Department of Homeland Security, on behalf of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Professional Responsibility, intends to recompete its Background Investigations Services blanket purchase agreement valued at $100 million.

According to information on the agency’s Acquisition Planning Forecast System, or APFS, DHS will award firm-fixed-price contracts in the second quarter of 2026. An official request for proposals will be issued in the coming days. 

What Is DHS’ Background Investigations Services BPA?

The contract vehicle is intended to provide pre-employment background investigations and reports of investigation, or ROIs, to the DHS and its components. The agency uses ROIs to assess if an individual is suitable for positions of trust, specifically in work that involves access to classified data or is critical to national security.

Work will be performed at multiple sites across the United States, including territories, until March 2031.

Which Companies Secured DHS’ Previous Background Investigations Services Contracts?

CACI, Peraton, Omniplex World Services, ADC and General Dynamics Information Technology’s background investigation business, which is now operating as part of Xcelerate, are the incumbents on the contract. The companies won five-year contracts that are set to expire in February 2026.

Peraton and CACI are also providing similar services to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency under contracts awarded in 2023.

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Space Force’s Combat Forces Command Accepts Long Range Discrimination Radar for Missile Warning
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The U.S. Space Force's logo. The Space Force announced the LRDR's operational acceptance

The U.S. Space Force’s Combat Forces Command has announced the operational acceptance of the Long Range Discrimination Radar, or LRDR, a system designed to improve interceptor precision and reduce reaction time in support of missile warning, tracking and targeting.

The CFC said Monday that the radar recently completed its operational trial period under the Missile Defense Agency. MDA declared initial fielding of the LRDR in December 2021.

Space Force's Combat Forces Command Accepts Long Range Discrimination Radar for Missile Warning

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The effort supports the Space Force’s Missile Warning, Tracking, and Targeting, also known as MWT&T, mission.

“This operational acceptance signifies a critical milestone in bolstering U.S. national security and missile warning, tracking and targeting capabilities, and I am incredibly honored to be working alongside the talented men and women who will be maintaining and operating this critical radar,” Col. Jared Hoffman, assistant deputy commander for operations, plans, training and force development at the CFC, stated.

What Is the Long Range Discrimination Radar?

LRDR, located at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska, was developed by Lockheed Martin. The radar system is built on solid-state, gallium nitride technology and ballistic missile defense algorithms to provide the Space Force with MWT&T and space domain awareness capabilities.

The open-architecture platform enables future upgrades and integration to address evolving needs and threats.

LRDR, according to the Space Force, can distinguish between lethal and non-lethal objects in congested environments and provide precision tracking data to the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Fire Control System.

What Is Next for LRDR?

The MDA will continue to oversee research, development, testing and upgrades, while CFC will handle operations, maintenance and sustainment. Mission Delta 4’s 13th Space Warning Squadron will maintain the radar at Clear SFS, and the 7th Space Warning Squadron will remotely manage daily operations from Beale Air Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain. 

CFC accepted the missile warning function for operational readiness, while acceptance of the space domain awareness functionality is expected after trials with Command and Control Battle Management and Communications and the National Space Defense Center.

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DCMA Adopts “Wartime” Strategic Plan to Accelerate Acquisition Oversight
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DCMA logo. DCMA released a new five-year wartime strategy.

The Defense Contract Management Agency has rolled out a new five-year strategy designed to overhaul DCMA’s operations and align its goals with those of the Department of War and presidential directives. DCMA published the plan on Friday, with Acting Director Sonya Ebright emphasizing the necessity of the strategic shift, noting that the agency is now on a “wartime footing” where “speed matters.” 

The plan, covering fiscal years 2026 to 2030, is structured around four primary lines of effort that focus heavily on leveraging advanced data and technology to enhance warfighter lethality, transparency and value.

How Will DCMA Speed Acquisition Decisions?

The four priority lines of effort are:

1. Strengthening the Defense Industrial Base Through Artificial Intelligence

DCMA aims to enhance resilience across the industrial base by expanding the adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The agency intends to shift from traditional product checks to predictive, risk-based monitoring of contractor performance, safety and cybersecurity across the supply chain.

Key objective: Apply performance and cyber risk assessments across 100 percent of the suppliers DCMA oversees and shift 20 percent of product evaluations to risk-based contractor process reviews.

2. Delivering Agile Acquisition Life Cycle Processes

To improve stakeholder outcomes, DCMA will work to drive efficiency and acceleration by prioritizing the use of automation and modern tools. This effort is focused on adapting to the transformative changes driven by increased digitalization and the implementation of the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul.

Key objective: Reduce acquisition life cycle services processing time by 20 percent.

3. Driving Enhanced Value and Affordability

This pillar operationalizes a risk-based strategy to maximize the War Department’s purchasing power and taxpayer value.

Key objective: Streamline workflows and standardize processes impacting 70 percent of cost and pricing capabilities to strengthen organizational agility, and embed transformative technology in 50 percent of cost and pricing capabilities to enhance operational capacity.

4. Developing Talent and Aligning Technology

This line of effort focuses on internal capacity, modernizing DCMA’s infrastructure and workforce to meet future demands. This includes aggressive technology goals to transition from legacy systems and improve data security.

Key objective: Transition 95 percent from legacy systems, achieve zero trust compliance and configure its Blue List as an integrated, automated marketplace. DCMA also aims to improve workforce capability by reducing the skills gap by 5 percent and maintaining a 50 percent fill rate of agency-approved critical positions.

The strategy will be accompanied by an annual performance plan that sets measurable milestones and tracks progress.

“More than just a compass, the plan is also our clock,” Ebright said. “Our nation is facing an increasingly complex future, rife with challenges and threats, requiring a rededication of our national defense efforts.”

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FCC Unveils Proposed Rulemaking to Modernize Space & Earth Station Licensing
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FCC logo. The Federal Communications Commission issued a proposed rulemaking to modernize space and earth station licensing.

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking, or NPRM, aimed at overhauling and modernizing the space and Earth station licensing framework.

The Space Modernization for the 21st Century NPRM, which updates the agency’s Part 25 satellite rules to a new Part 100, is central to its “Final Frontiers” agenda, according to a Federal Register post published Friday.

What Is the FCC’s Space Modernization for the 21st Century NPRM?

The initiative seeks to ensure emerging space industries, exploration capabilities and advanced defense systems are developed domestically rather than overseas. Central to the proposal is the creation of a “licensing assembly line,” enabling applications to be routed and segmented for targeted review. This streamlined approach is expected to enhance efficiency, predictability and flexibility, while accelerating the FCC’s licensing processes and enhancing overall quality.

How Will FCC Modernize Its Licensing Process?

The FCC intends to update its Part 25 licensing rules to keep pace with the rapid expansion and complexity of the space industry. The proposed changes include establishing a review process that facilitates “permissionless innovation,” overhauling application materials to streamline processing and expanding the flexibility for applicants and licensees in designing and operating their systems.

The FCC will accept public comments on the proposed rule changes until Jan. 20.

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Congress Releases Text of FY 2026 Defense Policy Bill
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The Capitol building. Congress released the full text of the final National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.

Congressional leaders have unveiled the full text of the final National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.

Congress Releases Text of FY 2026 Defense Policy Bill

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“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement published Sunday.

The Hill reported that the FY 2026 NDAA reflects an $8 billion increase above President Trump’s $892.6 billion budget request for the Department of War.

While the NDAA outlines annual defense policy, it does not appropriate funds. According to the Hill, the House is expected to vote on the measure in the coming days.

What Are the Provisions of the FY 2026 NDAA?

The defense policy measure would give service members a 4 percent pay raise; expand counter-drone defenses and new technologies; advance Golden Dome and enhance U.S. nuclear deterrent; implement guardrails to protect the country’s long-term investments and economic interests; and enhance U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to bolster Taiwan’s defense and support Indo-Pacific allies.

The bill aims to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding and broaden the maritime industrial base; reform the defense acquisition process; speed up the development and delivery of space capabilities; and streamline operations by eliminating $20 billion in obsolete weapons, inefficient programs and Pentagon bureaucracy.

In October, the Senate voted 77-20 to pass a $914 billion FY 2026 defense policy bill, paving the way for the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to begin the conference process and work out a compromise between their respective versions of the measure. The House approved its version of the NDAA in September.

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Pentagon Orders Components to Maintain Cryptography Inventory, Designate PQC Migration Leads
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Katie Arrington, performing the duties of the Pentagon's CIO. Arrington issued a PQC memo to all Pentagon components

The Department of War has ordered all of its components to rapidly transition to post-quantum cryptography, or PQC, citing advances in quantum information science and the need to protect its information systems, communications and personnel.

In a new memo, Katie Arrington, a Wash100 winner who is performing the duties of chief information officer, tasked the Pentagon’s senior leaders and combatant command heads to identify cryptography in use across all systems and designate leads responsible for migration activities.

Pentagon Orders Components to Maintain Cryptography Inventory, Designate PQC Migration Leads

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How Will the Pentagon Migrate to PQC?

According to the memo, the designated component PQC migration lead will oversee PQC acquisition requirements, carry out dissemination of PQC information, implement quantum-attack risk management plans, and tracking of all related tests, evaluations and readiness programs.

The migration lead will also be in charge of maintaining an inventory every form of cryptography used in their systems, including national security systems, business platforms, weapons systems, cloud services, mobile devices, physical access tools, Internet of Things technologies, unmanned assets and operational technology.

The memo also directs components to phase out pre-shared key approaches and symmetric key protocols used for quantum resistance by the end of 2030.

Additionally, the Office of the CIO wants components to submit artifacts for any testing, development, evaluation or acquisition involving PQC-related technology for review of security issues or unmitigated risks.

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Idaho National Lab Picks 5 Teams for MARVEL Microreactor Project
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MARVEL Project. INL tapped five teams to demonstrate several test cases under DOE's MARVEL microreactor project.

The Idaho National Laboratory has selected five teams to conduct initial experiments as part of the Department of Energy’s Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation, or MARVEL, demonstration project.

“With access to MARVEL, companies can explore how microreactors will potentially help us win the global AI race, solve water challenges and so much more. The MARVEL testbed exemplifies how nuclear energy can open the door to a stronger, safer and more prosperous future for our country,” John Jackson, national technical director for the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Microreactor Program, said in a statement published Thursday.

The chosen teams are Amazon Web Services; DCX USA and Arizona State University; General Electric Vernova; Radiation Detection Technologies; and Shepherd Power, NOV and ConocoPhillips.

AWS has proposed using and combining the MARVEL reactor with a modular data center. Meanwhile, Radiation Detection Technologies has proposed to use MARVEL to evaluate high-performance sensor systems that could help track the performance of advanced reactors.

The teams will work with DOE and national lab staff members to develop implementation plans for their proposed projects. According to INL, final agreements for the projects are expected to be announced in 2026. 

What Is DOE’s MARVEL Project?

Led by INL under the DOE Microreactor Program, MARVEL is designed to advance the development of a nuclear microreactor demonstration test bed.

The project features a sodium-potassium cooled microreactor that will generate 85 kilowatts of power. INL expects the project to advance the testing of microreactor applications, explore various electrical and non-electrical uses and help develop regulatory processes.

MARVEL will be linked to the national lab’s first nuclear microgrid and is expected to be operational by late 2027. It aims to provide companies with an opportunity to demonstrate new use cases and advance the technological maturity of microreactors.

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DOT Adopts Google Workspace Productivity Tools to Bolster Transportation Modernization
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Jim Kelly, federal vice president at Google Public Sector. Kelly announced DOT's transition to Google Workspace

The Department of Transportation has transitioned its workforce from legacy providers to Google Workspace’s cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools, including the generative artificial intelligence platform Gemini and AI research service NotebookLM.  

DOT Adopts Google Workspace Productivity Tools to Bolster Transportation Modernization

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How Did Google Support DOT’s Workspace Transition?

Jim Kelly, vice president of federal for Google Public Sector and a Wash100 awardee, wrote in a company blog post published Saturday that, through the company’s collaboration with DOT, deployment of the foundational system was completed within 22 days.

He added that over 50,000 DOT employees across transportation modes, including Federal Aviation Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration personnel, will get access to Google tools under the General Services Administration’s OneGov strategy. So far, around 12,000 users are utilizing the Workspace’s tool suite. The rest will be onboarded in 2026.

“This is a major step forward to support DOT’s mission to ensure the United States has the safest, most efficient, and modern transportation system in the world,” he said. “The successful execution of this transformation, in partnership with Google Public Sector and GSA, demonstrates how forward-thinking federal leadership is actively embracing best-in-class commercial innovation to better serve the public.”

Google Workspace and Gemini have both secured Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program High certification. 

What Is OneGov?

OneGov is the General Services Administration’s strategy to utilize the government’s collective power and broker a deal with original equipment manufacturers to provide agencies with discounted services for advanced technologies.

Google is providing a 71 percent temporary price discount to agencies to use its Workspace business software through the multiple award schedules program under a OneGov agreement announced in April.

The Mountain View, California-headquartered technology company is also providing access to Gemini for Government for only $0.47 per agency.

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8(a) Firms Required to Submit Financial Records Amid Expanded Fraud Oversight
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SBA logo. 8(a) firms must submit financial documents by Jan. 5

The Small Business Administration has directed all companies in the 8(a) Business Development Program to provide financial documentation, as the agency intensifies efforts to identify fraud, waste and abuse across federal small business contracting.

More than 4,300 participating firms must submit bank records, payroll data, financial statements and contracting agreements covering the last three fiscal years, SBA said Friday. Companies that do not comply by Jan. 5 risk removal from the program and additional enforcement action.

Why Is SBA Requiring New Financial Reviews?

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said recent federal investigations and oversight findings point to longstanding vulnerabilities in the 8(a) program, which is designed to assist socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses.

Loeffler stressed that there is “mounting evidence” that the program “went from being a targeted program to a pass-through vehicle for rampant abuse and fraud,” noting that the review aims to restore program integrity and protect taxpayer dollars.

What Triggered the 8(a) Audit Action?

The government-wide review follows a Department of Justice case that uncovered a $550 million bribery and fraud scheme involving a former contracting official and two 8(a) contractors. As part of the response, SBA has launched a full-scale audit focused on high-value and limited-competition awards made over the last 15 years.

SBA has already suspended executives and companies linked to alleged misconduct involving more than $253 million in contract awards.

The Department of the Treasury has initiated a parallel audit of preference-based contracting, totaling an estimated $9 billion in awards.

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